Bone cell proliferation, bone formation, and
bone resorption are the main factors involved in the homeostasis of the bone mass. Osteoblast death is a problem experienced by postmenopause women.
Herbal medicines have attracted considerable attention for use as a
drug or a
drug substitute in the treatment of bone-related diseases, such as
osteoporosis. This study investigated the effects of
kobophenol A on the proliferation in human osteoblast cells.
Kobophenol A stimulated the proliferation of osteoblast cells by the increases in
DNA synthesis and the enhancement of cell cycle progression.
Kobophenol A stimulation induced the expression of the
cyclin B1 and
cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (CDK1). Treatment of osteoblast cells with
p38 MAPK inhibitor
SB203580 significantly inhibited
kobophenol A-enhanced proliferation. In addition,
kobophenol A induced phosphorylation of
p38 MAPK. Treatment of osteoblast cells with
kobophenol A resulted in improvement of ROS scavenging activity. Moreover,
kobophenol A treatment up-regulated the Bcl-2 level, but down-regulated the level of Bax expression. We also demonstrate that
kobophenol A increased
alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity after 2 days. Taken together, the results of this study reveal that
kobophenol A has proliferative effects and enhances ALP activity in osteoblast cells and these findings provide insights into the development of a therapeutic approach of
kobophenol A in the prevention of
osteoporosis and other bone disorders.