Chrysanthemum indicum L. (Asteraceae) is a common traditional herbal medicine used for the treatment of inflammation, hypertension, and respiratory diseases due to its strong antagonistic function against inflammatory cytokines. In this study, the effects of Chrysanthemum indicum L. extract (CIE) on the function of osteoblastic MC3T3-E1 cells and the production of local factors in osteoblasts were investigated. CIE (100 μg/mL) significantly increased the growth of MC3T3-E1 cells and caused a significant elevation of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, and the deposition of collagen and calcium in the cells (p<0.05). The effect of CIE in increasing cell growth, ALP activity, and collagen content was completely prevented by the presence of 1 μM tamoxifen, suggesting that CIE’s effect might be partly involved in estrogen-related activities. These results indicate that the enhancement of osteoblast functionality by CIE may prevent osteoporosis and inflammatory bone diseases.

Keywords: Chrysanthemum indicum L., osteoblast, MC3T3-E1 cell, alkaline phosphatase, mineralization