Lepidium sativum seeds are used traditionally to accelerate healing of bone fracture in addition to its culinary uses. This study aimed to characterize the osteoprotective effect of L. sativum in an ovariectomized rat model at two dose levels (50 and 100 mg/kg) using 17β-estradiol as a positive reference standard. Moreover, a complete metabolite profile of L. sativum via UHPLC/PDA/ESI-MS, as well as headspace solid-phase microextraction (SPME)-GC/MS is presented. Results revealed that L. sativum extract exhibited significant anti-osteoporotic actions as evidenced by mitigating the decrease in relative bone weight concurrent with improved longitudinal and perpendicular femur compression strength. Further, the extract enhanced the serum bone formation biomarkers lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity and osteocalcin levels. The extract also inhibited exhaustion of superoxide dismutase (SOD) as well as glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities and accumulation of lipid peroxides in bone tissues. This is in addition to ameliorating the rise in the markers of bone resorption carboxyterminal telopeptide, type I (CTXI) and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) and modulating receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-Β ligand (RANKL)/ osteoprotegerin (OPG) expression. Metabolite characterization suggests that glucosinolates, lignans, coumarins, phenolic acids, and alkaloids mediate these anti-osteoporotic effects in a synergistic manner.
Keywords: LC-MS fingerprint; Lepidium sativum; anti-oxidation; osteoprotection; ovariectomized rats; phenolics.