| Objective To investigate the effect of puerarin combined with alendronate on postmenopausal osteoporosis. Methods 148 patients with postmenopausal osteoporosis were randomly divided into treatment group (n=74) and control group (n=74). The control group was treated with alendronate, and the treatment group was treated with puerarin combined with alendronate for 6 months. After treatment, the changes of bone mineral density at hip and lumbar spine, the levels of serum estradiol (E2), osteocalcin (BGP), bone alkaline phosphatase (BALP), tartrate-resistant phosphatase-5b (TRAP-5b), interleukin-6 (IL-6), transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and leukocyte-10 (IL-10) were measured and the drug adverse reactions were recorded during treatment. Results Before treatment, bone mineral density, bone metabolic index and immune factor were compared between the two groups, and were not significantly different (P>0.05). After 6 months of treatment, bone mineral density of hip and lumbar spine increased in different degrees, and the change of bone mineral density was greater in the treatment group than that in the control group (P<0.05). The levels of serum BALP, BGP, TRAP-5b, IL-10, IL-6 and TNF-α decreased and the levels of TGF-β1 and E2 increased in the treatment group, with statistical significance (P<0.05). No adverse drug reactions were recorded for all patients during treatment. Conclusion Puerarin combined with alendronate could improve the bone mineral density of hip and lumbar spine in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis by reducing the bone turnover rate and the expression of immune factors, and the safety was good. |