Objective To investigate the effects of eleutheroside E (EE) on bone mass and neuropeptides in ovariectomized (OVX) mice. Methods Twenty-four 7-week-old C57BL6/J female mice were randomly divided into SHAM group (SHAM), OVX group, EE low-dose group (EE-L), and EE high-dose group (EE-H). On the basis of OVX, mice in EE group received 20 mg/kg?d of EE-L and 40 mg/kg?d of EE-H by gavage. Mice in SHAM and OVX groups were gavaged with an equal volume of 1% carboxymethyl cellulose Na. After 12 weeks, the left femur and serum samples were collected. Micro-CT scan was performed on the left femur. The contents of TRAP, P1NP, TNF-α, IL-6, IL-10, CGRP, SP, VIP, and NPY in serum were detected using ELISA. Results Compared with those in SHAM, the levels of BMD, BV/TV, Tb.N, P1NP, IL-10, CGRP, SP, VIP, and NPY decreased significantly in OVX group (P<0.05, P<0.01), while Tb.Sp, TRAP, TNF-α and IL-6 increased significantly in OVX group (P<0.05). Compared with those in OVX, the levels of Tb.N, VIP and NPY in EE-L increased significantly (P<0.05). BMD, BV/TV, IL-10, CGRP, and SP showed upward trend, but there was no significant difference (P>0.05). Tb.Sp, TRAP, TNF-α, and IL-6 showed a declined trend, but there was no significant difference (P>0.05). There was no change trend in P1NP (P>0.05). In EE-H group, BMD, BV/TV, TB.N, P1NP, IL-10, CGRP, SP, VIP, and NPY increased significantly (P<0.05, P<0.01), while Tb.Sp, TRAP, TNF-α, and IL-6 decreased significantly (P<0.05). Conclusion EE significantly increases bone mass after OVX, possibly by reducing inflammation and increasing the content of neuropeptides in a dose-dependent manner. |