| Objective To investigate the protective effect of fangchinoline on ovariectomy-induced osteoporosis. Methods Forty C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into 4 groups, including blank control (sham) group, ovariectomized (OVX) mice model group, E2-treated group, and fangchinoline-treated group. Each group contained 10 mice. After 7 weeks of abdominal administration, all the mice were sacrificed. Serum was collected for detecting the following osteoporosis related biomarkers: tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAcP), C-terminal peptide of type I collagen (CTX), and N-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen (NTX). Femurs were removed for micro-CT analysis of the following bone mass index: bone volume/tissue volume (BV/TV), trabecular number (Tb.N), trabecular separation (Tb.Sp), and trabecular thickness(Tb.Th). Real-time PCR was applied to detect the expression of osteoporosis specific genes in femurs, including TRAcP, Cathepsin K, nuclear factor of activated T cells cytoplasmic 1 (NFATc1), and calcitonin receptor (CTR). Results Compared with OVX mice model, fangchinoline-treated group had increased levels of BV/TV, Tb.N, and Tb.Th, and decreased level of Tb.Sp. Also, decreased levels of bone resorption related biomarkers, including TRAcP, CTX, and NTX, were found in fangchinoline-treated group. In addition, real-time PCR results showed that fangchinoline-treated group had decreased levels of osteoclast marker genes including TRAcP, Cathepsin K, NFATc1, and CTR. Conclusion Fangchinoline protects against osteoporosis in OVX mice and might provide new ideas for the clinical treatment of osteoporosis. |