Icariin Combined with Adipose-Derived Stem Cells Ameliorated Osteoporosis in Postmenopausal Rats

Abstract Purpose: Osteoporosis is a chronic metabolic disease, it has caused the high incidence of related fractures, which seriously affects the life quality of the patients, especially in early postmenopausal women. Methods: Rat osteoporosis model was induced by bilateral ovarian ablation. Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into five groups (n=9): sham group, model group, the icariin group, ADSCs group, icariin combined with ADSCs group. H&E staining was used to observe the pathological changes of femur. The expression of calcitonin receptor (CALCR) and cathepsin K (CTSK) were investigated by immunohistochemistry. The expression of osteoprotegerin (OPG) and receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand (RANKL) were measured by qRT-PCR, immunohistochemistry and western blot.Results: The results showed that icariin combined with ADSCs ameliorated osteoblast morphology and bone density. Icariin combined with ADSCs significantly attenuated the protein expression of CALCR and CTSK after ovariectomy. Moreover, the expressions of OPG mRNA and protein were increased (p < 0.05), while the expressions of RANKL mRNA and protein were decreased (p < 0.05) in osteoblasts.Conclusions: Icariin combined with ADSCs can effectively inhibit PMOP in rats. The mechanism may be achieved by up-regulated the ratio of OPG / RANKL.