Puerarin health benefit and review of research studies

Puerarin is a major effective ingredient extracted from the traditional Chinese medicine Ge-gen (Radix Puerariae, RP). Puerarin has antioxidative and antithrombotic effects. Puerarin may help with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, alcohol-induced adipogenesis, and osteonecrosis.

Puerarin and liver health
Therapeutic Effect of Puerarin on Non-Alcoholic Rat Fatty Liver by Improving Leptin Signal Transduction through JAK2/STAT3 Pathways.
Am J Chin Med. 2009. Institute of Digestive Diseases, Longhua Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200032, China.
In order to investigate the mechanism of the therapeutic effect of puerarin on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, a non-alcoholic fatty disease male rat model was induced by a high fat diet, all rats were randomly divided into a blank group, model group, simavastatin group and puerarin group. After 4 weeks of drug treatment, the liver was slided to investigate pathological morphology. Elisa was used to measure the total cholesterol (TC), triglyeride (TG) in liver, and leptin content in serum. RT-PCR and Western blotting were employed to detect liver leptin mRNA receptor expression. The results showed that puerarin significantly decreased the TG, TC content in liver of the non-alcoholic fatty disease rats, ameliorated steatosis in liver, lowered liver inflammatory reaction, decreased leptin level in serum, and enhanced the expression of leptin receptor mRNA. All the results demonstrated that puerarin can exhibit therapeutic effect on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease by improving leptin signal transduction through JAK2/STAT3 pathways.

Puerarin and osteonecrosis
Preventive Effects of Puerarin on Alcohol-induced Osteonecrosis.
Clin Orthop Relat Res. 2008 March. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, 1st Affiliated Hospital, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.
Alcohol can induce adipogenesis by bone marrow stromal cells and may cause osteonecrosis of the femoral head. Currently, there are no medications available to prevent alcohol-induced osteonecrosis. Both bone marrow stromal cells (in vitro) and mice (in vivo) were treated either with ethanol or with ethanol and puerarin, with an untreated group serving as a control. The data suggest puerarin can inhibit adipogenic differentiation by bone marrow stromal cells both in vitro and in vivo and prevents alcohol-induced osteonecrosis in this model.

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