Positive skeletal effect of two ingredients of Psoralea corylifolia L. on estrogen deficiency-induced osteoporosis and the possible mechanisms of action

Estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) is utilized as a major regime for treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis at present. However, long-term supplement of estrogen may cause uterine hyperplasia and hypertension leading to a high risk of endometrial cancer and breast cancer. Psoralea corylifolia L. has long been used as tonic and food additives in many countries. Previous studies had found two ingredients in P. corylifolia L.: bavachin and bakuchiol exhibited osteoblastic activity. The present study was designed to investigate the protective effect of bakuchiol and bavachin on ovariectomy-induced bone loss and explore the possible mechanism. In vivo, bakuchiol and bavachin could prevented estrogen deficiency-induced bone loss in ovariectomized rats without uterotrophic activity. In vitro studies suggested that bakuchiol and bavachin induced primary human osteoblast differentiation by up-regulating the Wnt signalling pathway. This study suggests that such a bone-protective role makes them a promising and safe estrogen supplement for the ERT. [Display omitted] •It is the first time to systematically evaluate the protective effect of two phytoestrogen-like compounds in Psoralea corylifolia L. on estrogen deficiency-induced osteoporosis.•The two phytoestrogen-like compounds not only exhibited the inhibitory effect of osteoclast activity which is similar to estrogen but also increased the osteoblastic parameters in osteopenia rats without uterine estrogenic effect.•Bakuchiol and bavachin could promote osteoblasts differentiation through up-regulating the canonical Wnt signalling pathway.•Our study demonstrated that P. corylifolia L. could be a promising food additive in the postmenopausal women's diet to protect the bone loss.