Sinomenine down-regulates TLR4/TRAF6 expression and attenuates lipopolysaccharide-induced osteoclastogenesis and osteolysis

Sinomenine (SIN) is an anti-inflammatory and anti-arthritic alkaloid derived from Sinomenioum acutum. Effects of SIN on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced osteolysis have not been reported. Here, we found that SIN reduced LPS-induced erosion of skull bones in C57BL/6 mice significantly. LPS can induce bone-absorbing osteoclast formation independent of RANKL in pre-osteoclastic RAW264.7 cells in vitro. Here, SIN suppressed LPS-induced osteoclast formation and osteoclast survival in RAW264.7 cells. Expression of osteoclastic-specific marker genes was also inhibited by SIN during osteoclast differentiation and osteoclast survival stimulated with LPS. SIN showed much stronger inhibitory effects on expression of Fra-1 and MMP-9 mRNA in osteoclast differentiation rather than osteoclast survival. SIN dramatically inhibited LPS-induced TNF-α production in vitro and in vivo. Further signaling studies revealed that SIN suppressed the activation and relative gene expression of three notable nuclear factors (NF-κB, AP-1, NFAT), reduced intracellular levels of Ca(2+), and down-regulated phosphorylation of MAPK p38 (but not JNK) in LPS-induced osteoclastogenesis. Focusing on upstream signals after LPS stimulation, SIN decreased expression of TLR4 and TRAF6 during osteoclast differentiation, and reduced expression of TLR4 (but not TRAF6) in osteoclast survival. These data suggest that SIN might be a potential agent for the treatment of osteolysis caused by Gram-negative bacteria infection or inflammation due to its inhibition of osteoclastogenesis through reduction of TLR4/TRAF6 expression and downstream signal transduction.