Piceatannol attenuates RANKL-induced osteoclast differentiation and bone resorption and promotes caspase3-mediated apoptosis of mature osteoclasts

Osteoclasts are multinuclear giant cells that have unique ability to degrade bone. The search for new medicines that modulate the formation and function of osteoclasts is a potential approach for treating osteoclast-related bone diseases. Piceatannol (PIC), a natural organic polyphenolic stilbene compound found in diverse plants with a strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effect. However, the effect of PIC on bone health has not been scrutinized systematically. In this study, we used RAW264.7, a osteoclast lineage cells of murine macrophages, to investigate the effects and the underlying mechanisms of PIC on osteoclasts . Here, we demonstrated that PIC treatment ranging from 0 to 40μM strongly inhibited osteoclast formation and bone resorption in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, the inhibitory effect of PIC was accompanied by the decrease of osteoclast-specific genes. At the molecular level, PIC suppressed the phosphorylation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), extracellular sign...