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Updated: Jun 24, 2026
Isolation, Purification, and Differentiation of Osteoclast Precursors from Rat Bone Marrow
Published on: May 19, 2019
Effects of berberine on differentiation and bone resorption of osteoclasts derived from rat bone marrow cells
Peng Wei1, Lei Jiao, Lu-Ping Qin
1Department of Pharmacognosy, School of Pharmacy, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China.
Objective:
To observe the effects of berberine on osteoclastic differentiation and bone resorption action in vitro, and to investigate the cellular mechanism of its inhibitory effects on bone resorption.
Methods:
The multinucleated osteoclasts (MNCs) were derived by 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 and dexamethasone from bone marrow cells in the coculture system with primary osteoblastic cells. The tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) staining and image analysis of bone resorption pit on dental slices were used to identify osteoclast. The activity of TRAP was measured by p-nitrophenyl sodium phosphate assay. The bone resorption pit area on the bone slices formed by osteoclasts was measured by computer image processing.
Results:
At the concentrations of 0.1, 1 and 10 micromol/L, berberine dose-dependently suppressed the formation of TRAP-positive multinucleated cells, the TRAP activity and the osteoclastic bone resorption. The strongest inhibitory effect was exhibited at the concentration of 10 micromol/L, with the inhibiting rate of 60.45%, 42.12% and 72.69% respectively.
Conclusion:
Berberine can decrease bone loss through inhibition of osteoclast formation, differentiation and bone resorption.
