Page 20 - A. Aging

[A. Aging-11]

Agastache rugosa ethanol extract suppresses bone loss via

induction of osteoblast differentiation with alteration of gut

microbiota

Soyeon Hong¹˙²˙#, Jung-Hye Choi²˙*, Gyhye Yoo¹˙*, Chu Won Nho¹˙*

¹Smart Farm Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Gangwon-do 25451, Republic of

Korea, ²Kyung Hee University, KHU-KIST Department of Converging Science and Technology, Seoul 130-701,
Republic of Korea

Osteoporosis is a metabolic skeletal disease characterized by bone loss and an increased risk of fractures. This study

aimed to investigate the therapeutic effect of Agastache rugosa (AR) on postmenopausal osteoporosis and elucidate
its mechanisms in modulating the bone status. In the osteoblast differentiation process with MC3T3-E1 pre-

osteoblasts, AR and its compounds increased the expression of the proteins and genes of the osteoblast
differentiation-related markers such as RUNX2 and β-catenin along with the elevation of calcium deposits. An

ovariectomized mouse model was utilized to determine the impact of AR extract on postmenopausal osteoporosis.
Twelve weeks of AR treatment suppressed the loss of bone strength, which was observed through micro-computed

tomography. AR elevated osteogenic markers in the bone marrow cells, and collagen type 1 alpha 1 in the distal
femoral bone. The results of the 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis of cecal gut microbiomes demonstrated that

AR reversed the ovariectomy-induced changes in the gut microbiomes. Agastache rugosa (AR) has a therapeutic
effect on postmenopausal osteoporosis via bone morphogenic protein, transforming growth factor β, and Wnt

signaling pathway. It also increases the diversity of gut microbiota