Volatile components of fruits of Ligustrum lucidum Ait. stimulate proliferation and differentiation of rat calvarial osteoblasts

The fruits of Ligustrum lucidum Ait., (FLL), which contain rich volatile components, are commonly used as tonic for kidney and liver in the  traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions. This study aimed to investigate the effects of volatile components of FLL on the proliferation and   differentiation of rat calvarial osteoblasts by the MTT method and  measuring the activity of alkaline phosphatase (ALP). Results showed that volatile components (1 to 100 μg/mL) of FLL significantly (p<0.01) stimulated the proliferation and increased the ALP activity of rat calvarial osteoblasts which indicated that volatile components of FLL played an important role in osteoblastic bone formation just as non-volatile  components in FLL. Such finding accredited the FLL as a potential  candidate that might be useful in bone engineering and in treating bone defects including osteoporosis. The volatile components were analyzed by GC-MS. A total of 67 compounds were identified and the main components included (Z,Z)- 9,12-octadecadienoic acid (33.47%), n-hexadecanoic acid (15.02%), (E)-9-octadecenoic acid (9.03%), α-cadinol (6.51%), 4-hexyl-2,5-dihydro-2,5-dioxo-3-furanacetic acid (4.93%) and (E)-8-octadecenoic acid methyl ester (2.69%). Key words : Ligustrum lucidum, volatile components, rat calvarial osteoblasts.