Suppression of differentiation and/or function of osteoclasts is considered an effective therapeutic strategy for osteolytic bone diseases such as periodontitis and osteoporosis. Evidence regarding the health benefits of oolong tea consumption is accumulating, and tea polyphenols have various pharmacological properties such as anti-cancer and anti-diabetes effects. In this study, we investigated the effect of oolonghomobisflavan B (OFB), a polyphenolic compound in oolong tea, on osteoclast differentiation. OFB suppressed receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB (RANKL)-induced formation of tartate-resistant acid phosphatase-positive multinuclear cells without cytotoxicity. OFB also significantly attenuated p38 phosphorylation, which is essential for RANKL-induced osteoclastogenesis, and inhibited the expressions of nuclear factor of activated T cells, cytoplasmic 1 (NFATc1) and osteoclast-specific target genes, including dendritic cell-specific transmembrane protein and cathepsin K. Our findings suggest that OFB exhibits an anti-osteoclastogenic activity by inhibiting RANKL-mediated p38 activation, which is useful for the prevention and treatment of osteolytic bone diseases.

抑制破骨细胞的分化和/或功能被认为是溶骨性疾病如牙周炎和骨质疏松症的有效治疗策略。有关乌龙茶食用对健康有益的证据正在积累，茶多酚具有多种药理特性，例如抗癌和抗糖尿病作用。在这项研究中，我们调查了乌龙茶中的多酚类化合物乌龙茶双黄烷B（OFB）对破骨细胞分化的影响。OFB抑制核因子-κB（RANKL）诱导的抗酒石酸酸性磷酸酶阳性多核细胞形成的受体激活剂，而无细胞毒性。OFB还可以显着减弱p38磷酸化，这对于RANKL诱导的破骨细胞形成至关重要，