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Background Post-menopausal osteoporosis is a concern of health organizations, and current treatments do not seem enough. Postbiotics as bioactive compounds produced by probiotics may be an attractive alternative for bone health. In this study, we prepared, formulated, and compared the effects of cell lysate and supernatant of five native probiotic strains (Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus reuteri, Lactobacillus casei, Bifidobacterium longum, and Bacillus coagulans) in ovariectomized (OVX) rats. Methods The probiotic strains were isolated, and their cell-free supernatants and biomasses as postbiotics were extracted and formulated using standard microbial processes. The Sprague-Dawley rats were fed by 1 × 109 CFU/ml/day postbiotic preparations for 4 weeks immediately after ovariectomy. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scans were accomplished to evaluate femur, spine, and tibia BMD. The serum biochemical markers [calcium, phosphorus, and alkaline phosphatase] were assessed. Results Postbiotics could considerably improve the global and femur area in OVX rats. In the case of global bone mineral density (BMD), Lactobacillus casei lysate and supernatant, Bacillus coagulans lysate and supernatant, lysate of Bifidobacterium longum and Lactobacillus acidophilus, and Lactobacillus reuteri supernatant significantly increased BMD. We found Bacillus coagulans supernatant meaningfully enriched tibia BMD. Conclusion Postbiotic could ameliorate bone loss resulting from estrogen deficiency. Also, the effects of postbiotics on different bone sites are strain-dependent. More clinical studies need to explore the optimal administrative dose and duration of the specific postbiotics in protecting bone loss.

Introduction Recent studies have addressed the role of micronutrients in fertilization, such as vitamin D. The present study aims to explore the effects of using calcitriol, an active form of vitamin D, on IVF results in women with vitamin D deficiency. Method This double-blinded randomized clinical trial was done on 180 infertile women, undergone IVF treatment. Out of them, 95 were found to have vitamin D deficiency (blood serum 25-dihydroxy vitamin D <30 ng/ml). Fifty one women in experimental group were treated with two 0.25 µg calcitriol pills daily during 4 weeks (discontinued 8 hours prior to the embryo transfer) and 44 subjects to the placebo group (mean vitamin D deficiency 27.5 ±1.8 in case group vs. 27.6±1.8 in control group, P>0.05). Final analysis includes outcomes of chemical and clinical pregnancy was done on 74 women (including 36 in case and 38 in control group). Results Our study showed that in the experimental group, chemical pregnancy success was significantly higher than that in the control group, 31.4 vs. 18.2% (P<0.05). However, there were no significant differences between the 2 groups in reaching the clinical pregnancy stage (25.5% in case group vs. 13.6% in control group) and continuation of pregnancy into week 20 (9.8% in case group vs. 11.6% in control group) (P>0.05). Conclusion Calcitriol administration by improving the implantation process can significantly increase the chances of successful IVF cycle results in infertile women with vitamin D deficiency.

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