Effects of medicinal plant Atractylodes japonica on MC3T3-E1 cells

During our survey of the aromatic medicinal herbaceous plants looking for activity on bone metabolism, we found that Atractylodes japonica rhizomes increased the function of osteoblastic MC3T3-E1 cells. Chemical constituents of Atractylodes japonica were separated by hydro-distillation extraction (HDE), and characterized by GC/MS. The effects of Atractylodes japonica essential oils (AEOs) on the function of osteoblastic MC3T3-E1 cells were tested. AEO significantly (p<0.05) increased the growth and differentiation of osteoblastic MC3T3-E1 cells, indicating that has potential for use as a natural treatment for osteoporosis.