Ethanolic extract of Coelogyne cristata Lindley (Orchidaceae) and its compound coelogin promote osteoprotective activity in ovariectomized estrogen deficient mice.

Coelogyne cristata Lindley (CC) family Orchidaceae is an Indian medicinal plant used for the treatment of fractured bones in folk-tradition of Kumaon region, Uttarakhand, India. In continuation of our drug discovery program, feeding of ethanolic extract to ovariectomized estrogen deficient mice led to significant restoration of trabecular micro architecture in both femoral and tibial bones, better bone quality and also devoid of any uterine estrogenicity. Subsequently, coelogin, a pure compound was isolated from ethyl acetate fraction of C. cristata and evaluated in in vitro osteoblast cell cultures. Treatment of coelogin to osteoblasts led to enhanced ALP activity (a marker of osteoblast differentiation), mineral nodule formation and mRNA levels of osteogenic markers like BMP-2, Type 1 Collagen and RUNX-2. Based on these results, we propose that ethanolic extract of C. cristata and its pure compound coelogin have potential in the management of post menopausal osteoporosis.