Osteoblastic Proliferative Activity of Extracts of Qing’e pill and its Disassembled Formulae

Abstract

Qing’e pill is one of the famous traditional Chinese compound prescriptions used to treat bone diseases. It contains four botanical drugs, i.e., the cortex of Eucommia ulmoides Oliv., the fruit of Psoralea corylifolia L., the seed of Juglans regia L. and the rhizome of Allium sativum L. In this study, osteoblastic proliferation activity of extracts from Qing’e pill and its disassembled formulae was investigated with the osteoblast-like UMR106 cell line as a model. The extract of Qing’e pill, both alcohol and aqueous, stimulated cell proliferation in a dose-responsive manner. The proliferative activity of alcohol extract was more potent than that of the aqueous one with a maximal growth stimulation ratio (GSR) of 58.5% versus 38.8%. Eucommia ulmoides and Psoralea corylifolia produced a maximum proliferative promotion of 38.7% and 34.0%, respectively, when co-cultured with UMR106 cells. Neither Juglans regia nor Allium sativum showed a significant effect on osteoblastic proliferation. When Eucommia ulmoides and Psoralea corylifolia were combined, the stimulating action (GSR = 47.2%) became stronger than that of either individual drug. The enhancement effect was more marked when Juglans regia or both Juglans regia and Allium sativum were added. These results demonstrated the synergy of the four botanical drugs and the rationality of Qing’e pill prescription in a modern scientific way. This is the first time to study the stimulating osteroblastic proliferation effect of a traditional Chinese compound prescription on the basis of disassembled formulae.