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Definition: "An ergogenic aid is any substance or phenomenon that enhances performance "
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09.10.2013 |
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Piceatannol for strong bones
Osteoblasts are cells that build up bone tissue in your skeleton; osteoclasts are the cells that break down that tissue. As a result of aging or disease, the osteoclasts can gain the upper hand over the osteoblasts, leading to a weakening of the skeleton. The most commonly used forms of medication against osteoporosis, the bisphosphonates, inhibit osteoclasts.
In the late nineties, Japanese researchers discovered that resveratrol stimulates the development of osteoblasts in vitro. [Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1998 Dec 30;253(3):859-63.] In 2005 Danish researchers published the results of another in-vitro study that more or less confirmed the findings of the Japanese. [Cancer Res. 2005 Nov 1;65 (21):9943-52.]
The difference between resveratrol [above left] and piceatannol [above right] is just one hydroxyl group. That's why the Taiwanese wondered whether piceatannol might also have similar effects on osteoblasts. To investigate they did a series of experiments on hFOB and MG-63 osteoblasts in test tubes.
To cut a long story short: piceatannol stimulated both the fixing of minerals by the osteoblasts and the build up of collagenic connective tissue. The longer the exposure and the higher the concentration, the harder the cells worked.
When the Taiwanese replicated their experiments using a substance that blocks BMP-2, piceatannol had no effect at all.
"This therefore suggests that piceatannol may be beneficial in stimulating the osteoblastic activity resulting in bone formation", the researchers conclude.
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