Influence of Replenishing Kidney Herbs on Osteoporosis Induced by Dexamethasone and Retinoic Acid in Rats

Objective: To explorate the influence of replenishing Kidney herbs on dexamethasone (DXM) or retinoic acid (RA) induced osteoporosis in rats.Methods: Model animal of osteoporosis was made by DXM injection or RA through gastrogavage, and some animals received replenishing Kidney herbs during modelling. Changes of serum calcium, phosphate, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), estrogen (E), prostaglandin E2(PGE2), 1, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D3(VD3), uric hydroxyproline (UHP), intestinal calcium absorption, bone ash weight, bone density, bone histopathology as well as the change of intestinal calcium absorption vector-Ca-binding protein D9K (CaBp-D9K) gene and its mRNA expression were examined and compared.Results: DXM or RA could markedly induce bone metabolism disorder, showed as morphologic and histologic changes of bone, in DXM group, decrease of E2, VD3, bone density, bone ash weight, intestinal calcium absorption, increase of PGE2, and in RA group, decrease of serum E2, calcium, phosphate, ALP, UHP, bone density, bone ash weight, and intestinal calcium absorption. These changes could be reduced significantly when rats received replenishing Kidney herbs during modelling, and approached to normal.Conclusion: Osteoporosis induced by long-term application of DXM and low calcium diet feeding is a good animal model for experimental research. Replenishing Kidney herbs could significantly improve bone metabolism disorder induced by DXM or RA