Qiangguyin inhibited fat accumulation in OVX mice through the p38 MAPK signaling pathway to achieve anti-osteoporosis effects

• Published in: Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy Vol. 158; p. 114122
• Main Authors: Wen, Jingyuan, Bao, Zhengsheng, Li, Lunxin, Liu, Yingquan, Wei, Bing, Ye, Xiaoang, Xu, Huihui, Cui, Longkang, Li, Xuefei, Shen, Gaobo, Fang, Yuan, Zeng, Hanbing, Shen, Zhe, Guo, Enping, Jin, Hongting, Wu, Lianguo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: France Elsevier Masson SAS 01.02.2023; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animals; Chondro-osseous junction; Drugs, Chinese Herbal - pharmacology; Drugs, Chinese Herbal - therapeutic use; Lipid differentiation; Medicine, Chinese Traditional; Mice; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 14 - metabolism; P38 MAPK; p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases - metabolism; Postmenopausal osteoporosis; Qiangguyin; Signal Transduction; QGY; Lipid differentiation; P38 MAPK; Chondro-osseous junction; PMOP; Postmenopausal osteoporosis; Qiangguyin
• ISSN: 0753-3322; 1950-6007
• DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2022.114122

Postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMOP) is a common bone disease characterized by decreased bone density and increased bone fragility due to decreased estrogen levels. Qiangguyin (QGY) is transformed from the famous traditional Chinese medicine BuShen Invigorating Blood Decoction. In this study, we used QGY to treat PMOP. We observed that QGY significantly reduced fat accumulation in the chondro-osseous junction. However, its specific mechanism of action remains unclear. To determine the specific molecular mechanism of QGY, we explored the pharmacological mechanism by which QGY reduces fat accumulation in the chondro-osseous junction through network pharmacological analysis. The active components and targets related to PMOP and QGY were screened from different databases, forming a composition-target-disease network. Next, a comprehensive analysis platform including protein-protein interaction (PPI) network, Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis, and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis were established. The results revealed that QGY inhibits adipogenic differentiation by activating the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway, thus reducing the accumulation of fat in the chondro-osseous junction. For further verification. In vitro and in vivo experiments were carried out. Our data showed that QGY significantly reversed the high expression of fatty acid binding protein 4 (FABP4) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ). Further, QGY prevents fat accumulation by inhibiting the expression of p38. In summary, the results of this study suggested that QGY-induced phenotypic changes are related to the activation of the p38 MAPK signaling pathway. [Display omitted] •Postmenopausal osteoporosis is a growing public health problem.•Chinese medicine has good curative effect on osteoporosis.•Qianggu Yin not only promotes bone formation but also inhibits fat accumulation.•Prediction of action target of traditional Chinese medicine by network pharmacology.