Swertiamarin improves fracture healing in vivo and in vitro

Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of swertiamarin (SW) on fracture healing in fracture rat. Methods: Female SD rats were randomly divided into 6 groups: sham operation group (N), model group (M) and SW (20, 40 mg kg ^-1 ). Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit was used to detect osteocalcin (BGP), calcitonin (CT) and osteoprotegerin (OPG) in rats. The receptor activator for nuclear factor-κB ligand (RANKL), malondialdehyde (MDA), CATalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and superoxide dismutase (SOD), bone mineral density (BMD) of femur and lumbar spine were measured by dual-energy x-ray bone density detector. The biomechanical index of tibia was measured by three-point bending method, and the expression of β-catenin, FoxO3a, Wnt2, p66 shc and p-p66 protein in rat femur was detected by Western blot. Compared with the model group, the levels of CT and OPG in SW group significantly increased, while the levels of BGP and RANKL significantly decreased. SW significantly increased the BMD of lumbar vertebrae, femur and the maximum load and stress of tibia. SW significantly decreased MDA level and increased CAT, SOD and GSH-Px levels. Western blot showed that SW significantly decreased p-p66/p66 level and increase the expression level of β-catenin and Wnt2 protein, and inhibited the expression level of FoxO3a protein. SW effectively promoted fracture healing induced by oxidative stress in fracture rat, which may be related to its regulation of FoxO3a/Wnt2/β-catenin pathway.