| Objective To observe the effect of Erzhiwan on the differentiation of human osteoblasts from perimenopausal women, and to analyze the possible molecular mechanism. Methods Cancellous bone of perimenopausal women of different ages who met the inclusion criteria were collected, and divided into four groups：premenopausal normal bone mass group, premenopausal osteopenia group，postmenopausal normal bone mass group and postmenopausal osteoporosis group. Osteoblasts were isolated and cultured in vitro and osteoblast proliferation and differentiation before and after Erzhiwan intervention were evaluated. The ability of osteoblast proliferation was measured by MTT Method. The expression of AKP was measured by color method. The expression of BMP-2 and OCN was measured by ELISA. The expression of the mRNA of BMP-2, OCN and ER-α was measured by SYBR GREEN. Results After Erzhiwan intervention to the osteoblasts of each group, the order of osteoblast proliferation ability, the expression of AKP, BMP-2 and OCN, and the expression of the mRNA of BMP-2, OCN and ER-α from high to low was generally the premenopausal normal bone mass group, the postmenopausal normal bone mass group, the premenopausal osteopenia group and the postmenopausal osteoporosis group. Conclusion To a certain degree, Erzhiwan could multiply osteoblasts and speed up cell differentiation, therefore may play a role in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis. |