Research on the effect of Fructus Lycii Ruthenic and Herba Cistanches on senile osteoporosis in aged rats via regulation of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway

Key Points

• This research explores the impact of Fructus Lycii and Herba Cistanches on senile osteoporosis in aged rats through modulation of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.
• 48 SD rats were divided into several groups including a control and treatment groups.
• Micro-CT assessed bone microstructure changes in the treated rats.
• HE staining analyzed femur pathology, while alkaline phosphatase staining measured osteoblast activity.
• TRAP staining assessed osteoclast activity, and ELISA measured serum TNF-α, BALP, and TRACP-5b levels.
• Western blot analyzed the expression of PI3K/Akt pathway proteins in femur tissue.
• Compared to the control group, aged rats showed significant degradation in bone microstructure and decreased BMD/PV/TV, Tb.N, and Tb.Th values (P<0.05).
• The treatment group exhibited improvements in these parameters and reduced pathological damage (P<0.05).
• Rats treated with 740 Y-P showed trends opposite to the treatment group, suggesting its counteractive effects.