Bone protective effects and intervention mechanism of α-Zearalanol in ovariectomized rat

Objective: To assess bone protective effects and intervention mechanism of α-Zearalanol in ovariectomized rat. Methods: 60 female SD rats were randomly separated into 6 groups:control group (n=10); ovariectomized group (OVX) (n=10); the OVX + E
2
group(OVX + E
2
) (n=10); the high-dose OVX + α-ZAL group (OVX + HZ) (n=10); the moderate-dose OVX + α-ZAL group (OVX + MZ) (n=10); the low dose OVX + α-ZAL group (OVX + LZ) (n=10). α-ZAL was administered intragastrically to the rats. After 35 days, the total body Bone mineral density (BMD) was assessed in the rats. All sections were processed for hematoxylin-eosin staining (H.E.), and Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), Tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP), Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMP), and Bone Gla protein (BGP) immunoreactivity was assessed. Serum tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and bone specific alkaline phosphatase (BALP) levels were assessed using commercially available ELISA kits. Results: The expression of BMP and bFGF were significantly increased in OVX + MZ and OVX + LZ. The expression of TRAP, TNF-α, BGP and BALP were significantly decreased in OVX + MZ and OVX + LZ. BMD was significantly increased in OVX + MZ and OVX + LZ (vs. OVX, P<0.05). Conclusion: The results of this experiment demonstrate that α-ZAL can increase the expression of bFGF and BMP while reducing the expression of TRAP, BGP, TNF-α and BALP. The administration of α-ZAL to ovariectomized rats reverses bone loss and prevents osteoporosis.