Stimulatory effect of puerarin on bone formation through co-activation of nitric oxide and bone morphogenetic protein-2/mitogen-activated protein kinases pathways in mice.

Estrogen deficiency results in loss of bone mass. Phytoestrogens are plant-derived non-steroidal compounds with estrogen-like activity that bind to estrogen receptors. The main aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the phytoestrogen puerarin on adult mouse osteoblasts.Osteoblast cells were harvested from 8-month old female imprinting control region (ICR) mice. The effects of puerarin stimulation on the proliferation, differentiation...