Sanggenon C (SC), which is a natural
flavonoid found in the stem bark of Cortex Mori, has been discovered to have the
antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antitumor properties. However, its effect in
osteoporosis has not yet been reported. In this research, the effect of SC on the proliferation of MC3T3-E1 cells was evaluated by using the MTT assay.
Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and the
mRNA expression of Runx2,
Collagen I, OPG, and RANKL were examined. TRAP-positive cell counting and
bone resorption pits were adopted to observe the effect of SC on the formation and function of osteoclasts. Next, the
mRNA level of TRAP, CTSK, NFATc1, and
TRAF6 of osteoclasts were measured by real-time qPCR. In addition, the anti-
osteoporosis activity of SC in vivo was evaluated in the zebrafish model. Our study indicated that SC exhibited a significant stimulatory effect on MC3T3-E1 cell proliferation at 1 to 10 μM and caused an increase in ALP activity at 0.3 to 10 μM. It could upregulate the expression of Runx2,
Collagen I, and increases the OPG/RANKL ratio. Furthermore, SC was found to inhibit the formation and function of osteoclasts, which is demonstrated by a lower number of TRAP-positive multinuclear cells and a fewer area of
bone resorption pits compared to the control group. TRAP, CTSK, and NFATc1 were downregulated in 0.3 to 10 μM SC treated groups. In addition, 3 to 10 μM SC also inhibited the expression of
TRAF6 mRNA. When
prednisone-induced zebrafish was treated with 0.3, 1, 3, and 10 μM SC, higher mineralization of vertebrate column was discovered in a dose-dependent pattern, which suggests that SC could reverse the bone loss of zebrafish caused by
prednisone. In summary, these findings indicated that SC has the potential to prevent or treat
osteoporosis.