Aqueous extract from Opuntia megapotamica fruit pulp promotes osteoblast activity

Objetive: Osteoporosis and osteopenia are age-related chronic diseases with increased morbidity rates among postmenopausal women. Natural products investigation for prevention and treatment of these conditions is growing, due, in part, to the fact that they allow longer exposure times and minor secondary complications than synthetic drugs. Opuntia plants (Cactaceae) have been shown to possess a broad spectrum of medicinal properties. Opuntia megapotamica is an autochthonous species from Argentina but its action on bone metabolism has not yet been studied. The work aims is to evaluate the action of aqueous extracts of O. megapotamica fruits on the activity and function of osteoblasts in vitrO.