Previous studies have shown that rambutan peel phenolic (RPP) extract has excellent biological activities due to its abundant phenolic content and profile. In this study, the potential anti-osteoporosis (OP) effects of RPP were evaluated by suppressing receptor activator nuclear factor-kappa B ligand (RANKL)-induced differentiation of RAW264.7 cells into osteoclasts and amelioratingretinoic acid-induced OP in rats. Our results showed that RPP efficiently decreased the formation of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP)-positive cells and reduced total TRAP activity in RAW264.7 cells under RANKL stimulation. RPP treatment significantlyameliorated retinoid acid-induced calcium loss in rats (p < 0.05). The serum phosphorus level of osteoporotic rats was increased by RPP treatment, and the serum levels of total alkaline phosphatase and osteocalcin in osteoporotic rats were further reduced. RPP treatment improved the qualities of the femur and tibia, such asbone mineral density, bone length, bone maximum load, cortical bone area ratio, and trabecularelative bone density in osteoporotic rats to some extent. Furthermore, histological analysis showed that RPP effectively improved the bone microstructure of osteoporotic rats by regulating the cortical bone thickness and trabecular bone separation. These results indicate that RPP could have potential applications as a newnutraceutical and functional food in the prevention of OP.
Keywords: RAW264.7 cells; bone quality; histological analysis; osteoporosis; rambutanpeel phenolic; receptor activator nuclear factor-kappa B ligand(RANKL).