LAUSR

Picroside II, one of the major components isolated from the seed of natural plant picrorhiza, is widely used in traditional Chinese medicine. The present study was performed to define effects of picroside II on nuclear factor‐kappaB ligand (RANKL)‐stimulated osteoclast differentiation in vitro and on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐induced bone loss in vivo. The bone marrow cells (BMMs) were harvested and induced with RANKL followed by treatment with picroside II at several doses, and the differentiation of osteoclasts from these cells was evaluated by tartrate‐resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) staining and resorption pit formation assay. The effects of picroside II on osteoclastogenesis were studied by examining RANKL‐induced osteoclast F‐actin ring formation and osteoclast bone resorption. Moreover, we explored the mechanisms of these downregulation effects by performed Western blotting and quantitative RT‐PCR examination. Results demonstrated picroside II strongly inhibited RANKL‐induced osteoclast formation when added during the early stage of BMMs cultures, suggesting that it acts on osteoclast precursors to inhibit RANKL/RANK signaling. Moreover, picroside II markedly decreased the phosphorylation of p38, ERK, JNK, p65, and I‐κB degradation, and significantly suppressed c‐Fos and nuclear factor of activated T‐cells cytoplasmic 1 (NFATc1), both the key transcription factors during osteoclastogenesis. Furthermore, in vivo studies verified the bone protection effects of picroside II. These results collectively suggested that picroside II acted as an anti‐resorption agent by blocking osteoclast activation. J. Cell. Biochem. 118: 4479–4486, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.