Osthol (Os)

Osthol is an O-methylated coumarin. It is a calcium channel blocker which is found in the plants such as Cnidium monnieri, Angelica archangelica and Angelica pubescens. Osthol, a coumarin isolated from common cnidium fruit, enhances the differentiation and maturation of osteoblasts in vitro. The effect of osthol on osteoblasts was investigated in primary osteoblastic cells isolated from newborn Wistar rats. Osteogenic differentiation markers were examined over a period of time at this concentration, and compared with control cells that were not supplemented with osthol. Osthol significantly enhances the osteogenic differentiation of cultured osteoblasts. Osthol could stimulate the osteoblastic differentiation of rat calvarial osteoblast cultures by the BMP-2/p38MAPK/Runx-2/osterix pathway and that osthol may be used as an important compound in the development of new antiosteoporosis drugs.