Abstract
Objectives : This study was performed to examine the effect of Yukmigiwhang-tang kamibang, a mixture of oriental herbal extracts, on the transcription of bone fonnation genes, BMP4 (bone morphogenetic protein 4) and TG2 (transglutaminase-2). Methods : Bone-related cells, MG-63 (human male osteosarcoma), HOS-TE85 (human female osteosarcoma), and KG-l (bone marrow) were cultured with portions of Yukmigiwhang-tang kamibang and the transcription activities of bone-related genes, BMP4 (bone morphogenetic protein 4) and TG2 (transglutaminase-2), were determined by Reverse-Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR). Results : Transcription of BMP4 gene in HOS-TE85 cell increased up to 40% at 0.3% (v/v) of Yukmigiwhang- tang kamibang extract and that of TG2 gene in MG-63 cells also increased up to 40% at 0.3-0.4% of the same extract. Although it was less significant when compared to those in other cells, the transcription of BMP4 gene in KG-l cells also increased up to 10 to 25%. Conclusions : These results clearly demonstrated that Yukmigiwhang-tang kamibang have an effect on transcription activity of bone-related genes, TG2 and BMP4, suggesting that it may play an important role in bone formation.