Purpose: To study the effect of Salvia Miltiorrhiza Bunge on the expression of osteoprotegerin (OPG) in cultured human periodontal ligament fibroblasts.
Methods: Primary culture of human periodontal ligament fibroblasts was established and the fifth passage cells were used in this study. Concentration-dependent effect of Salvia Miltiorrhiza Bunge on OPG mRNA and OPG protein secretion were determined by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and enzyme linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA), respectively. The data were analyzed with SPSS15.0 software package.
Results: OPG mRNA expression was increased after 1 h exposure to various concentrations of Salvia Miltiorrhiza Bunge compared with the control group (P<0.05). OPG protein secretion was significantly increased after 12 h exposure to various concentrations of Salvia Miltiorrhiza Bunge compared with the control group (P<0.05).
Conclusion: Salvia Miltiorrhiza Bunge can up-regulate the expression of OPG in cultured human periodontal ligament fibroblasts.