Dietary supplementation with dried plum prevents ovariectomy-induced bone loss while modulating the immune response in C57BL/6J mice

J Nutr Biochem. 2012 Jan;23(1):60-8. doi: 10.1016/j.jnutbio.2010.10.010. Epub 2011 Mar 16.

Abstract

This study was designed to investigate the effects of dried plum on the changes in bone metabolism and the immune response associated with ovarian hormone deficiency. Adult female C57BL/6J mice were either sham-operated (Sham) and fed AIN-93 diet (control) or ovariectomized (OVX) and fed a control diet with 0%, 5%, 15% or 25% dried plum (w/w), corresponding to control, low- (LDP), medium- (MDP) and high (HDP)-dose dried plum. Four weeks of HDP supplementation prevented the decrease in spine bone mineral density and content induced by OVX. The OVX compromise in trabecular bone of the vertebra and proximal tibia was prevented by the higher doses of dried plum, and in the vertebra these effects resulted in greater (P<.05) bone strength and stiffness. In the bone marrow, OVX suppressed granulocyte and committed monocyte populations and increased the lymphoblast population, but the MDP and HDP restored these myeloid and lymphoid populations to the level of the Sham. Dried plum also suppressed lymphocyte tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α production ex vivo by splenocytes, in response to concanavalin (Con) A stimulation. These data indicate that dried plum's positive effects on bone structural and biomechanical properties coincide with the restoration of certain bone marrow myeloid and lymphoid populations, and suppressed splenocyte activation occurring with ovarian hormone deficiency.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Biomarkers / metabolism
  • Body Weight / drug effects
  • Bone Density / drug effects*
  • Bone Marrow Cells / drug effects
  • Bone and Bones / drug effects
  • Concanavalin A / pharmacology
  • Cytokines / metabolism
  • Dietary Supplements*
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Eating
  • Female
  • Femur
  • Gene Expression
  • Insulin-Like Growth Factor I / metabolism
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Organ Size / drug effects
  • Osteoporosis / immunology*
  • Osteoporosis / prevention & control*
  • Ovariectomy
  • Peptide Fragments / blood
  • Procollagen / blood
  • Prunus*
  • Spleen / cytology
  • Spleen / drug effects
  • Spleen / metabolism
  • Tibia / drug effects
  • Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / metabolism
  • Uterus / drug effects

Substances

  • Biomarkers
  • Cytokines
  • Peptide Fragments
  • Procollagen
  • Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha
  • insulin-like growth factor-1, mouse
  • procollagen Type I N-terminal peptide
  • Concanavalin A
  • Insulin-Like Growth Factor I