Effects of Puerarin on Blood Fluoride, Micro-CT Parameters and Bone Histomorphology in Rats with Fluorosis

Aim: This study aims to examine the effects of puerarin on blood fluoride, micro-Computed Tomography (micro-CT) parameters and bone histomorphology of rats with fluorosis and to investigate whether puerarin has therapeutic effects on skeletal fluorosis. Materials and Methods: The 72 rats were randomly divided into the blank control group, model group and puerarin group. All the rats will be administered different doses of drug interventions. Morphological structure of bone tissue was observed by the Hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) staining. Blood fluoride, micro-CT parameters were monitored. Results: Compared with the blank control group, the blood fluoride level in the model group was significantly higher (p<0.05). Compared with the model group, the blood fluoride level in the puerarin group were lower (p<0.05). Compared with the model group, the micro-CT parameters of the rats in the puerarin group were significantly improved (p<0.05). In the model group, the bone cortex became thicker, the trabecular number increased; the trabecular bones were irregularly arranged; the width of medullary cavity was smaller. In the puerarin group, the bone cortex became thinner, the trabecular number decreased, the lamella structure was not clear and the width of the medullary cavity became smaller. Conclusion: Fluoride has a dual regulatory effect on bone metabolism, with osteosclerosis and osteoporosis crossing each other. Puerarin regulates bone metabolism in fluorosis rats and plays a therapeutic and osteoprotective role in anti-fluorosis. However, such therapeutic effects are bone region specific and dependent on a drug concentration. Puerarin has a more significant effect on cancellous bone.