Abstract
This study examined whether treatment with Phyllostachyos Caulis in Taeniam aqueous extract improves longitudinal bone growth in adolescent male rats. Three-week-old
male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three groups: a control group, a Phyllostachyos Caulis in Taeniam group (200 mg/kg, p. o.), and a recombinant human growth hormone group (20 µg/kg,
s. c.). The total tibial length and the height of each growth plate zone were evaluated
by radiography and histomorphometry. The total number of proliferative cells and 5-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine-positive
cells were counted after 5-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine staining. Serum total osteocalcin
levels were assayed using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The average total
tibial length of the Phyllostachyos Caulis in Taeniam group was significantly longer than that of the control group. The heights of the
proliferative and hypertrophic zones in the Phyllostachyos Caulis in Taeniam group were increased, and the ratio of 5-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine-positive to total
cells in the proliferative zone was also increased. The serum osteocalcin, growth
hormone, and insulin-like growth factor-1 levels were significantly increased in the
Phyllostachyos Caulis in Taeniam group compared to the control group. Insulin-like growth factor-1 and insulin-like
growth factor-1 receptor were highly expressed in the proliferative and hypertrophic
zones in the Phyllostachyos Caulis in Taeniam group. The Phyllostachyos Caulis in Taeniam extract increased bone length, promoted cell proliferation, and activated the growth
plate zones, which suggested that the extract could play an important role in longitudinal
bone growth. Therefore, the Phyllostachyos Caulis in Taeniam extract might be a good alternative medicine to growth hormone therapy.
Key words
Phyllostachys bambusoides
- Poaceae -
Phyllostachyos Caulis in Taeniam extract - tibial length - growth plate - proliferation - IGF-1
