Endocrine Abstracts

Aim: This study was to investigate the protective effect of grape procyanidins on ethanol and carbon tetrachloride induced cell damages in MC3T3-E1 osteoblast-like cells.

Methods: Normal MC3T3-E1 osteoblast-like cells and cells damaged by ethanol or carbon tetrachloride were incubated with different doses of grape procyanidins for 24 hours. Cell TNF alpha mRNA expression and apoptotic DNA fragmentation were subsequently determined using in situ hybridization and cell death ELISA. MTT assay was applied to measure cell proliferation levels in the cells received various treatments.

Results: TNF alpha mRNA expression and apoptotic DNA fragmentation of the cells in ethanol and carbon tetrachloride injury groups significantly increased compared to the normal control, but reversed by grape procyanidins at 50 and 100 mg/l (P<0.05). Grape procyanidins significantly stimulated cell growth, with a better effect observed at the dose of 100 mg/l, and the reduction of cell proliferation by ethanol and carbon tetrachloride was significantly reversed by grape procyanidins administration.

Conclusion: Our data indicates that grape procyanidins exert preventive effect on cell abnormal gene expression and DNA damages induced by oxidative stress. Clinically this implies that grape procyanidins intake might play a beneficial role in the prevention of bone loss.