Effects of Red-Yeast-Rice Supplementation on Bone Mineral Density and Bone Mineral Content in Overiectomized Rats

ABSTRACT

This study was performed to evaluate the effect of red-yeast-rice on bone metabolism in overiectomized (OVX) rats. Forty female Sprague-Dawley rats (body weight 210 +/- 5 g, 9 weeks old age) were divided into two groups. One group were OVX, and the other group received sham operation (SHAM), and received either control diet (20% casein) or a red-yeast-rice power supplemented diet (0.1%) for 9 weeks. And then each rat group was further divided into control diet (casein 20%) and red-yeast-rice powder supplemented (0.1%) diet group. All rats were fed on experimental diet and deionized water ad libitum for 9 weeks. Bone mineral density (BMD) and bone mineral content (BMC) were measured using PIXImus (GE Lunar Co, Wisconsin, USA) in spine and femur on 5, 9 weeks after feeding. The serum and urine concentrations of Ca and P were determined. Bone formation was measured by serum osteocalcin and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) concentrations. And bone resorption rate was measured by deoxypyridinoline (DPD) crosslinks immunoassay and corrected for creatinine. Serum osteocalcin, growth hormone, IGF-1 and calcitonin were analyzed using radioimmunoassay kits. Urinary Ca and P excretion were not significantly different among the groups. Within the OVX group, the red-yeast-rice group had a lower crosslinks value than the casein group. Therefore the redyeast- rice supplemented groups had a lower bone resorption ratio than the casein group in the ovariectomized rats. And, the red-yeast-rice group had significantly higher IGF-1 hormone than casein group in ovariectomized rats. The redyeast-rice group had higher spine bone mineral content than those of control group within the OVX groups. This study was an important first step in establishing that the observed beneficial effects of red-yeast-rice on bone, and this study also established the need for a study on the long-term effect of this supplement in a human.