Xiao Xiangyu, Wang Jiaojiao, Zhu Yucheng, Deng Bohua, Liu Yucheng, Wang Shaoshuai, Hou Tao, Song Tongxing
College of Animal Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China.
Frontiers Science Center for Animal Breeding and Sustainable Production, Wuhan 430070, China.
J Agric Food Chem. 2023 Oct 11;71(40):14539-14549. doi: 10.1021/acs.jafc.3c01489. Epub 2023 Sep 27.
Osteoporosis is increasingly prevalent worldwide, representing a major health burden. However, there is a lack of nutritional strategies for osteoporotic therapy. Phytosterols, as natural bioactive compounds, have the potential to alleviate osteoporosis. In this study, a glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis mouse model and treatment with low and high concentrations of phytosterols for 4 weeks were established. The results demonstrated that compared to the control group, low-concentration phytosterols (LP) (0.3 mg/mL) increased bone mass, improved trabecular microstructure, reduced serum levels of cross-linked C-telopeptide of type I collagen (CTX-1), and elevated serum levels of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25-(OH)D). Conversely, high-concentration phytosterols (0.5 mg/mL) showed no effect. Additionally, we validated the effect of LP in ameliorating osteoporosis using an ovariectomized (OVX)-induced osteoporosis mouse model. Mechanistically, phytosterols altered the microbial composition to counteract glucocorticoid-induced gut microbiota disorder and improve the length and morphology of the small intestine. Particularly, based on selection strategy and correlation analysis, phytosterols increased the relative abundance of and decreased the relative abundance of , which were significantly associated with glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis indications. Overall, these findings suggest that phytosterols regulate gut microbiota to increase bone mass, thereby exerting an antiosteoporotic effect.
骨质疏松症在全球范围内日益普遍,是一项重大的健康负担。然而,目前缺乏用于骨质疏松症治疗的营养策略。植物甾醇作为天然生物活性化合物,具有缓解骨质疏松症的潜力。在本研究中,建立了糖皮质激素诱导的骨质疏松症小鼠模型,并分别用低浓度和高浓度植物甾醇处理4周。结果表明,与对照组相比,低浓度植物甾醇(LP)(0.3 mg/mL)增加了骨量,改善了小梁微结构,降低了血清I型胶原交联C端肽(CTX-1)水平,并提高了血清1,25-二羟基维生素D(1,25-(OH)D)水平。相反,高浓度植物甾醇(0.5 mg/mL)则没有效果。此外,我们使用卵巢切除(OVX)诱导的骨质疏松症小鼠模型验证了LP改善骨质疏松症的效果。从机制上讲,植物甾醇改变了微生物组成,以对抗糖皮质激素诱导的肠道微生物群紊乱,并改善小肠的长度和形态。特别是,基于筛选策略和相关性分析,植物甾醇增加了 的相对丰度,并降低了 的相对丰度,这与糖皮质激素诱导的骨质疏松症指标显著相关。总体而言,这些发现表明植物甾醇通过调节肠道微生物群来增加骨量,从而发挥抗骨质疏松作用。