The extract of Trachelospermum jasminoides (Lindl.) Lem. vines inhibits osteoclast differentiation through the NF-κB, MAPK and AKT signaling pathways.

Osteoclasts are the only cells in the body with a bone-resorption function. The identification of anti-osteoclastogenic agents is important in managing bone loss diseases. The dried vines of Trachelospermum jasminoides (Lindl.) Lem. have been used as a herbal medicine to treat musculoskeletal soreness in East Asia for hundreds of years. In the present study, we focused on the effect of Trachelospermum jasminoides (Lindl.) Lem. extract (TJE) on osteoclast differentiation. As indicated by tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) staining, TJE inhibited osteoclastogenesis induced by receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand from bone marrow-derived monocytes/macrophages without showing any cytotoxicity. In addition, TJE effectively suppressed F-actin ring formation and the bone-resorption function of osteoclasts. The subsequent studies such as network pharmacology and molecular investigation, revealed that TJE inhibited osteoclastogenesis-related genes in a dose- and time-dependent manner through NF-κB, MAPK and AKT-mediated mechanism followed by the nuclear factor of activated T cells, cytoplasmic 1 (NFATc1)/c-Fos pathway. Our study could potentially explain the underlying molecular pharmacology of TJE in osteoclast-related diseases. What's more, it suggested that network pharmacology could help the modernization of traditional Chinese medicine.