Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research

Original Research Article | OPEN ACCESS

Effect of dietary soy isoflavones on bone loss in ovariectomized rats

Haidong Liang^1,2, Fang Fu³, Bo Yuan², Zheng Nan Zhao², Chang Gui Tong², Xue Hui Liu², ShuFang Wu¹

¹Center for Translational Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University School of Medicine, 277 West Yanta Road, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061; ²Hands and Feet Microsurgery, The Second Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian 116023, People's Republic of China; ³The Second Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian 116023, People's Republic of China.

For correspondence:- ShuFang Wu Email: sfangwu@aliyun.com Tel:+862985324555

Accepted: 14 October 2017 Published: 31 January 2018

Citation: Liang H, Fu F, Yuan B, Zhao ZN, Tong CG, Liu XH, et al. Effect of dietary soy isoflavones on bone loss in ovariectomized rats. Trop J Pharm Res 2018; 17(1):91-96 doi: 10.4314/tjpr.v17i1.14

© 2018 The authors.
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Abstract

Purpose: To determine the effect of dietary soy isoflavone supplementation on bone loss in ovariectomized (OVX) rats.

Methods: Forty-eight rats were assigned randomly to groups of OVX rats receiving soy isoflavones (20, 30, or 40 mg/kg of body weight daily), untreated OVX rats, or untreated intact rats. After 8 weeks, bone mineral density (BMD), mineral (Ca, P, Mn, Mg, and Zn) concentrations, and the expression of osteoblast-related genes were measured in femur tissue samples.

Results: Eight weeks after OVX, there was a significant decrease in body weight, serum levels of osteocalcin, alkaline phosphatase, and oestradiol, BMD and mineral elements, as well as the expressions of Ctnnb1, Runx2, and Sp7 (all p < 0.05). These decreases were accompanied by reduced maximum load capacity of lumbar vertebrae. Daily supplementation with soy isoflavones dose-dependently ameliorated these effects (all p < 0.05). Western blotting revealed that these effects were likely due to the reversal of the OVX-induced decrease in Notch1 proteins in bone and muscle.

Conclusion: Soy isoflavone treatment represents a potential therapy for preventing postmenopausal bone loss by stimulating the Notch signalling

Keywords: Mineral elements, Alkaline phosphatase, Isoflavones, Bone loss, Notch pathway