| Abstract Objective: To investigate the preventive effect of compound gushukang preparation on postmenopausal osteoporosis and to explore the related mechanisms. Methods: Fifty healthy female wistar rats were selected and randomly divided into five groups: the sham operation group, the model group, the low-dose group of osteoporosis, the medium-dose group of osteoporosis, and the high-dose group of osteoporosis, 10 rats in each group. Bone density of femur and vertebrae was measured in each group; changes in trabecular bone of femur in each group were detected by HE staining; changes in serum P1NP and β-CTX were detected by Elisa assay; and protein expression of PI3K, Akt and mTOR in tibia tissues of each group was detected by immunohistochemical assay. Results：Compared with the sham-operated group (0.39±0.03) and (0.28±0.03), femur (0.16±0.03) and vertebrae (0.13±0.02) bone mineral density decreased in the model group, P<0.05; compared with the model group, femur and vertebrae bone mineral density increased in the compound osteoporosis group for each dose, P<0.05; compared with the sham-operated group (0.374±0.094), the model group (0.274±0.023), the area of bone trabeculae decreased, P＜0.05; compared with the model group, the area of bone trabeculae increased in each dose group of Compound Osteoporosis, P＜0.05; compared with the sham-operated group (13.31±0.37), (3.67±0.17), the model group (9.56±0.17), (4.39±0.20), the P1NP, β-CTX. Conclusion: Compound osteoporosis preparation can increase the bone mineral density, bone trabecular area, elevate the serum P1NP content, and reduce the serum β-CTX content of PMOP rats. The results of immunohistochemistry showed that compound osteoporosis preparation can elevate the expression of PI3K, Akt, and mTOR in the femur of PMOP rats, which suggests that the compound osteoporosis preparation has a preventive effect against PMOP rats, and its preventive mechanism may be related to the effect of PI3K, Akt, and mTOR signaling pathway in the organism. The mechanism of prevention may be through affecting the related proteins in the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway in the organism.
[Keywords] PI3K/Akt/mTOR; compound osteoporosis preparation; postmenopausal osteoporosis; |
