Geranylgeraniol promotes osteoblast differentiation and inhibits osteoclastogenesis through MAPK and nuclear receptor signaling.
Tomomura M, Tsukahara T, Suzuki R, Sakagami H, Bandow K
Plant Derived Therapeutics
Plant oils in your kitchen — from olive oil to palm and certain herbs — contain this bone-supporting compound, meaning the plants you grow or cook with may quietly contribute to skeletal health in ways science is only beginning to map.
Plants produce a natural alcohol called geranylgeraniol as part of their normal chemistry, and it turns up in many plant-based oils. Researchers found that this plant compound can both encourage the cells that build bone to work harder and slow down the cells that break bone apart. In mice with bone loss similar to what happens after menopause, giving them this plant compound helped restore their bones.
Key Findings
GGOH suppressed the formation of bone-dissolving osteoclast cells by blocking a key signaling protein (NFATc1) and reducing a specific stress-response signal (JNK phosphorylation).
GGOH increased bone-building activity in osteoblasts, raising levels of structural markers like collagen type 1 and alkaline phosphatase, and activating growth-promoting genes including Runx2 and Smad.
In live mice, GGOH both protected against inflammation-induced bone loss and improved bone density in ovariectomized (surgically menopausal) mice.
chevron_right Technical Summary
A natural compound found in plant oils called geranylgeraniol (GGOH) both builds bone and protects against bone loss by acting on two different cell types simultaneously. In mice, it reversed bone thinning caused by hormone loss and protected against inflammation-driven bone destruction.
Abstract Preview
Bone is regulated in a coordinated manner through the catabolic action of osteoclasts and the anabolic function of osteoblasts. Geranylgeraniol (GGOH) is a diterpenoid alcohol found in plant oils a...
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The olive is a species of subtropical evergreen tree in the family Oleaceae. Originating in Asia Minor, it is abundant throughout the Mediterranean Basin, with wild subspecies in Africa and western Asia; modern cultivars are traced primarily to the Near East, Aegean Sea, and Strait of Gibraltar. ...