Abstract

The fruits of Ligustrum lucidum Ait., (FLL), which contain rich volatile components,are commonly used as tonic for kidney and liver in the traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions. This study aimed to investigate the effects of volatile components ofFLL on the proliferation and differentiation of rat calvarial osteoblasts by the MTT method and measuring the activity of alkaline phosphatase (ALP). Results showed that volatile components (1 to 100 μg/mL) of FLL significantly (p<0.01) stimulatedthe proliferation and increased the ALP activity of rat calvarial osteoblasts whichindicated that volatile components of FLL played an important role in osteoblastic bone formation just as non-volatile components in FLL. Such finding accredited the FLL as a potential candidate that might be useful in bone engineering and in treating bone defects including osteoporosis. The volatile components were analyzed by GC-MS. A total of 67 compounds were identified and the main components included(Z,Z)-9,12-octadecadienoic acid (33.47%), n-hexadecanoic acid (15.02%), (E)-9-octadecenoic acid (9.03%), α-cadinol (6.51%), 4-hexyl-2,5-dihydro-2,5-dioxo-3-furanacetic acid (4.93%) and (E)-8-octadecenoic acid methyl ester (2.69%).

Key words: Ligustrum lucidum, volatile components, rat calvarial osteoblasts.

Abbreviation

FLL, Fruits of Ligustrum lucidum.