Daily intake of β-cryptoxanthin prevents bone loss by preferential disturbance of osteoclastic activation in ovariectomized mice

Although β-cryptoxanthin,a xanthophyll carotenoid,has been shown to exert an anabolic effect on bone calcification,little attention has been paid thus far to the precise mechanism of bone remodeling. daily oral administration of β-cryptoxanthin significantly inhibited osteoclastic activation as well as reduction of bone volume in ovariectomized mice. in vitro studies revealed that β-cryptoxanthin inhibited differentiation and maturation of osteoclasts by repression of the nuclear factor-κb-dependent transcriptional pathway. our results suggest that supplementation with β-cryptoxanthin would be beneficial for prophylaxis and for therapy of metabolic bone diseases associated with abnormal osteoclast activation. © 2015 the authors.