Effect of the Extract and Constituents From Hancornia speciosa Fruits in Osteoclasts

Abstract Hancornia speciosa is a medicinal species traditionally used in Brazilian folk medicine to treat a variety of conditions. Compounds isolated from the leaves, bark, and trunk of this plant have shown therapeutic properties, but only recently have the fruits of H. speciosa been explored for potential pharmacological applications. The present study investigated the effects of an ethanolic extract from the fruits, fractions, and compounds thereof in bone resorbing cells. Primary osteoclast cultures from bone marrow cells and osteoclasts derived from a monocyte/macrophage cell line, RAW 264.7, were incubated with different concentrations of the ethanolic extract, ethyl acetate fraction, water fraction, quinic acid, and L-(+)-bornesitol. In RAW 264.7 cell cultures, quinic acid significantly reduced osteoclast formation. In bone marrow cell-derived osteoclasts, the ethyl acetate fraction induced a decrease in the number of osteoclasts, promoting a remarkable reduction in the mean area of those cells and in their resorption activity. The compounds quinic acid and bornesitol also affected bone marrow cell-derived osteoclasts. In both cell cultures, the substances tested did not affect cell viability/proliferation. In conclusion, components extracted from H. speciosa fruit affected the cells responsible for bone resorption, making them promising tools for interference in osteoclastogenesis.