Effect of resveratrol on peak bone mass in growing rats

: Objective: To investigate the effect of resveratrol on peak bone mineral density and bone mass in growing rats. Methods: Thirty-six female healthy Wistar rats were randomly divided into control group, icariin group and resveratrol group with 12 rats in each group. Icariin (25 mg·kg-1·d-1), resveratrol (8.4 mg·kg-1·d-1) or equal volume of distilled water were given by gavage to icariin group, resveratrol group and control group, respectively. The rats were sacrificed after 12 weeks. The organ indexes were calculated and pathology sections were observed; the bone mineral density (BMD), bone biomechanics, serum bone metabolism index, and results of micro-CT scan were analyzed. Results: During the experiment, the body weight of rats showed an increasing trend and there was no significant difference among three groups (P>0.05). There were no significant differences in organ index of vital organs and pathological changes among the groups (all P>0.05). Compared with the control group, the whole body BMD, and the BMDs of femur and vertebrae in icariin and resveratrol groups were significantly increased after 12 weeks (all P<0.05). The maximum load values of femur and vertebrae, as well as elastic modulus of vertebrae in icariin and resveratrol groups were significantly higher than those in control group (P<0.05 or P<0.01). Micro-CT scan showed that the volumetric BMD, number of trabecular, trabecular thickness and bone volume/tissue volume of the cancellous bone in icariin and resveratrol groups were significantly higher and the trabecular separation was significantly lower than those in the control group (P<0.05 or P<0.01); while there was no significant difference in volumetric BMD of cortical bone for femur. The contents of osteocalcin in icariin and resveratrol groups were significantly higher than those in control group (all P<0.05), while the contents of tartarte-resistant acid phosphatase 5b (TRACP5b) were significantly lower than those in control group (all P<0.05).Conclusion: Resveratrol can inhibit bone resorption and enhance bone formation, so as to improve the peak bone mass and bone density, enhance bone strength and improve the microstructure of bone tissue in young rats.