Background: Many menopausal women suffer from health problems including metabolic diseases such as dyslipidemia and osteoporosis. Thus they need natural products and functional foods particularly highly nutritional food products, that can help alleviate these diseases. This study was carried out to determine the effect of Drynariae Rhizoma water extract on the lipid and bone metabolism of ovariectomized Sprague-Dawley rats.Methods and Results: The animals were randomly divided into six dietary groups comprising SHAM-operated rats, OVX rats (normal diet), and OVX-DR rats (Drynariae Rhizoma extract). After 8 weeks, plasma, liver, and fat samples were collected to analyze the lipid metabolism, plasma Ca, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), osteocalcin and C-terminal telopeptide (CTx) concentrations, which are biochemical makers of bone metabolism. The left femurs of rats were also collected for histological analyses. OVX counteracted menopause induced body weight gain, as well as increases in triglycerides, total cholesterol, and free fatty acids. The Drynariae Rhizoma group showed low levels of triglycerides, high HDL-cholesterol, and decreased lipogenesis based on activity of the lipid-regulating enzymes (fatty acid synthase and malic enzyme). Decreased serum levels of ALP and osteocalcin were observed in Drynariae Rhizoma group.Conclusions: The results of this study show that Drynariae Rhizoma extract may effectively regulate hyperlipidemia and improve bone density.

• 강미영(경북대학교 식품영양학과) | Mi Young Kang (Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Korea.)
• 정수임(경북대학교 식품영양학과) | Soo Im Chung (Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Korea.)
• 이상철(경북대학교 응용생명과학부) | Sang Chul Lee (School of Applied Biosciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Korea.) Corresponding author