| Objective To study the effects of hesperidin on bone loss and osteoprotegerin (OPG)/receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa B ligand (RANKL)/ RANK signaling pathway in ovariectomized osteoporotic rats. Methods Forty-eight female Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into sham operation group, ovariectomized osteoporosis group, hesperidin low-dose group, hesperidin middle-dose group, hesperidin high-dose group, and estrogen group. Bone volume fraction (BV/TV), bone mineral density (BMD), trabecular thickness (Tb.Th), trabecular number (Tb.N) ), and trabecular separation (Tb.Sp) were detected. The histopathology of bone tissue was observed with HE staining. C-terminal peptide collagen type I (CTX-I) and bone glaprotein (BGP) were detected with enzyme-linked immunosorbent method (ELISA). The mRNA and protein expression of OPG, RANKL, and RANK were detected with qRT-PCR and Western blotting in bone tissues. Results After treatment with hesperidin, the osteoporosis markers BV/TV, BMD, Tb.Th, and Tb.N increased, and Tb.Sp decreased compared to those in ovariectomized osteoporosis group. The number of trabecular bones in rats significantly increased, and the trabecular bone connections were tighter. The bone resorption marker CTX-I decreased, and the bone formation marker BGP increased. The relative mRNA and protein expression of OPG increased, while the relative mRNA and protein expression of RANKL and RANK decreased. Conclusion Hesperidin alleviates bone loss in ovariectomized osteoporosis rats and regulates OPG/RANKL/RANK signaling pathway. |