Background: Typha angustata is a traditional Chinese medicine, commonly used for a variety of clinical disorders, including atherosclerosis and wound healing. In the present study, the protective effects of T. angustata pollen extract (TE) on the response of osteoblast to oxidative stress were evaluated.

Materials and Methods:  Osteoblastic MC3T3-E1 cells were incubated with H₂O₂ and/or TE, and markers of osteoblast function and oxidative damage were examined.

Results:  TE treatment significantly (P < 0.05) reversed the cytotoxic effect of H₂O₂ and this effect was blocked by ICI182780, suggesting that TE’s effect might be partly involved in estrogen action. TE significantly (P < 0.05) increased collagen content, alkaline phosphatase activity, calcium deposition of osteoblasts in the presence of H₂O₂ and these effects were blocked by rottlerin and PD98059, suggesting that the induction of differentiation by TE is associated with increased activation of protein kinase C and ERK. Moreover, H₂O₂-induced reduction of osteocalcin was significantly recovered in the presence of TE. Pretreatment with TE also decreased the increase in receptor activator of nuclear factor-kB ligand, malondialdehyde, and protein carbonyl induced by H₂O₂.

Conclusion:  These results suggest that the pollen of T. angustata may be useful for the protection of H₂O₂-induced oxidative damage and dysfunction in osteoblasts.