Enhanced Bone Tissue Regeneration by Porous Gelatin Composites Loaded with the Chinese Herbal Decoction Danggui Buxue Tang

PLoS One. 2015 Jun 30;10(6):e0131999. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0131999. eCollection 2015.

Abstract

Danggui Buxue Tang (DBT) is a traditional Chinese herbal decoction containing Radix Astragali and Radix Angelicae sinensis. Pharmacological results indicate that DBT can stimulate bone cell proliferation and differentiation. The aim of the study was to investigate the efficacy of adding DBT to bone substitutes on bone regeneration following bone injury. DBT was incorporated into porous composites (GGT) made from genipin-crosslinked gelatin and β-triclacium phosphates as bone substitutes (GGTDBT). The biological response of mouse calvarial bone to these composites was evaluated by in vivo imaging systems (IVIS), micro-computed tomography (micro-CT), and histology analysis. IVIS images revealed a stronger fluorescent signal in GGTDBT-treated defect than in GGT-treated defect at 8 weeks after implantation. Micro-CT analysis demonstrated that the level of repair from week 4 to 8 increased from 42.1% to 71.2% at the sites treated with GGTDBT, while that increased from 33.2% to 54.1% at GGT-treated sites. These findings suggest that the GGTDBT stimulates the innate regenerative capacity of bone, supporting their use in bone tissue regeneration.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Angelica sinensis / metabolism
  • Animals
  • Astragalus Plant / metabolism
  • Astragalus propinquus
  • Biocompatible Materials / pharmacology*
  • Bone Regeneration / drug effects*
  • Bone and Bones / cytology
  • Cell Differentiation / drug effects
  • Cell Proliferation / drug effects
  • Drugs, Chinese Herbal / pharmacology*
  • Fractures, Bone / therapy*
  • Gelatin / chemistry
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred ICR
  • Plant Roots / metabolism

Substances

  • Biocompatible Materials
  • Drugs, Chinese Herbal
  • danggui buxue decoction
  • Gelatin
  • Huang Qi
  • angelicae sinensis extract

Grants and funding

The authors are grateful to National Science Council of the Republic of China, Taiwan (contract No. NSC98-2221-E-039-005-MY3) and China Medical University (contract No. CMU 101-AWARD-05 and CMU101-S-01) for their kind financial support on the research. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.