Overall adjustment acupuncture improves osteoporosis and exerts an endocrine-modulating effect in ovariectomized rats

Abstract

BackgroundAcupuncture is a widely practiced, convenient, and safe treatment modality within complementary and integrative medicine. Increasing studies have revealed the efficacy of acupuncture for the treatment of osteoporosis in both human and non-human subjects. The aim of the present study was to assess the improvement of osteoporosis after overall adjustment acupuncture (OA) as well as its endocrine-modulating effect in an ovariectomized rat model.MethodsIn total, 32 female Sprague–Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into the sham, model, ovariectomy+estrogen (OVX+E), and OVX+OA (OVX+A) groups with eight rats in each group. The postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMOP) rat model was induced by bilateral ovariectomy. At 12 weeks after surgery, rats in the OVX+E group received estradiol (0.2 mg/kg/i.g./qod) for 12 weeks, and rats in the OVX+A group were treated with acupuncture at Zusanli (ST36), Shenshu (BL23), and Dazhu (BL11) points (qod) for 12 weeks. At the end of the treatment, all rats were sacrificed, and the body weight, uterus index, bone mineral density (BMD), bone mineral content (BMC), bone trabeculae structural parameters, femoral biomechanical properties, femoral histomorphology, and several hormone levels were examined.ResultsIn OVX rats, OA abrogated the body weight gain and improved osteoporosis in terms of BMD, BMC, bone trabeculae structural parameters, bone strength, and bone tissue histomorphology. Moreover, OA modulated the serum levels of estradiol, corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH), adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), and corticosterone (CORT).ConclusionsOA improves osteoporosis and exerts an endocrine-modulating effect in ovariectomized rats.

Impact of leptin or melatonin on Sema4D overexpression-related bone metabolism

“…Because the bone is in a high stage of transition, the mass of the bone cannot be balanced, which causes more bone to be lost. The best model to research postmenopausal osteoporosis is the ovariectomized osteoporosis model [ 19 , 20 ]; According to the technique of Li et al [ 21 ], after anesthesia and under aseptic conditions, create a 1-2 cm incision in the lateral abdomen, and then passively separate it from the skin-fascia-muscle in succession using scissors. The white and moist fat mass is visible, and when the fat mass folds are removed, the pink and bright ovaries like cauliflower are revealed.…”

Bioatividade do extrato da pitaya na proteção contra perda de tecido ósseo femoral. Análise in vivo em ratas ovariectomizadas

“…Na presente proposta deste trabalho, a osteoporose foi induzida mediante a remoção dos ovários, cuja técnica já foi amplamente discutida na literatura (Deng et al, 2022;Li et al, 2022;Lorenzo, J., 2021;Liang, et al, 2018;Liu, et al, 2020;Liu et al, 2017;Semeghini et al, 2018). Este procedimento cirúrgico tem como objetivo diminuir os níveis de hormônios estrogênicos nas ratas usadas no experimento e assim simular a osteoporose pós-menopáusica que ocorre nas mulheres adultas.…”

“…Na avaliação do ganho de peso corporal entre os grupos, foi observado aumento no ganho de peso no grupo OVX quando comparado ao grupo SHAM, sendo contínuo até o final do experimento, e também quando comparado ao grupo que recebeu estrógeno (EST+OVX) e ao grupo tratado com a pitaya (EPY+OVX). Este resultado não difere dos dados obtidos em outras investigações que utilizaram o modelo de indução da osteoporose mediante a remoção dos ovários, onde pesquisadores observaram um maior ganho de peso no grupo OVX quando comparado aos demais grupos (Li et al, 2022), destacando que o grupo que recebeu o extrato da pitaya manteve o peso similar ao grupo SHAM, como já evidenciado em estudos com fitoestrógenos que os mesmos são alternativas potenciais para manter o peso (Liu et al, 2021). As mensurações realizadas no osso femoral das ratas estudadas sugerem que o procedimento de ovariectomia não influencia no peso total do fêmur, assim como os tratamentos com estrógeno e com o extrato da pitaya.…”