Eldecalcitol, an active vitamin D analog, effectively prevents cyclophosphamide-induced osteoporosis in rats

ED-71 Prevents Glucocorticoid-Induced Osteoporosis by Regulating Osteoblast Differentiation via Notch and Wnt/β-Catenin Pathways

PURPOSE

Long-term glucocorticoid- usage can lead to glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis (GIOP). The study focused on the preventative effects of a novel active vitamin D3 analog, eldecalcitol (ED-71), against GIOP and explored the underlying molecular mechanisms.

METHODS

Intraperitoneal injection of methylprednisolone (MPED) or dexamethasone (DEX) induced the GIOP model within C57BL/6 mice in vivo. Simultaneously, ED-71 was orally supplemented. Bone histological alterations, microstructure parameters, novel bone formation rates, and osteogenic factor changes were evaluated by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining, micro-computed tomography, calcein/tetracycline labeling, and immunohistochemical (IHC) staining. The osteogenic differentiation level and mineralization in pre-osteoblast MC3T3-E1 cells were evaluated in vitro using alkaline phosphatase (ALP) staining, alizarin red (AR) staining, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), Western blotting, and immunofluorescence staining.

RESULTS

ED-71 partially prevented bone mass reduction and microstructure parameter alterations among GIOP-induced mice. Moreover, ED-71 also promoted new bone formation and osteoblast activity while inhibiting osteoclasts. In vitro, ED-71 promoted osteogenic differentiation and mineralization in DEX-treated MC3T3-E1 cells and boosted the levels of osteogenic-related factors. Additionally, GSK3-β and β-catenin expression levels were elevated after ED-71 was added to cells and were accompanied by reduced Notch expression. The Wnt signaling inhibitor XAV939 and Notch overexpression reversed the ED-71 promotional effects toward osteogenic differentiation and mineralization.

CONCLUSION

ED-71 prevented GIOP by enhancing osteogenic differentiation through Notch and Wnt/GSK-3β/β-catenin signaling. The results provide a novel translational direction for the clinical application of ED-71 against GIOP.

Eldecalcitol prevents muscle loss by suppressing PI3K/AKT/FOXOs pathway in orchiectomized mice

Elderly male patients are susceptible to develop osteoporosis and sarcopenia, especially those with fragility fractures, hypogonadism, and prostate cancer with androgen deprivation therapy. However, at present, very few treatments are available for men with sarcopenia. Previous preclinical studies in ovariectomized rats have shown the promising effects of eldecalcitol in ameliorating the bone strength and muscle atrophy. We thus investigated the effects of eldecalcitol on androgen-deficient male mice. Six-week-old male mice underwent orchiectomy (ORX) or sham surgery. Mice were randomly divided into 4 groups (n = 12/per group), including 1) sham mice, 2) ORX group, 3) ORX eldecalcitol 30 ng/kg, and 4) ORX eldecalcitol 50 ng/kg. Eldecalcitol increased bone mass and strength of femur in ORX mice. Eldecalcitol 30 ng/kg dose completely rescued ORX-induced muscle weakness. The RT-qPCR showed that eldecalcitol enhanced the mRNA levels of type I and IIa fibers. The expression levels of MuRF1 and Atrogin-1 of gastrocnemius in the eldecalcitol groups were much lower than that of the ORX group. It is assumed that eldecalcitol potentially acts via PI3K/AKT/FOXOs signaling pathway. These findings provide evidence for evaluating eldecalcitol as an investigational treatment for male patients with sarcopenia and osteoporosis.

Salvia officinalis Extract and 17β-Estradiol Suppresses Ovariectomy Induced Osteoporosis in Female Rats

<b>Background and Objective:</b> Osteoporosis is a progressive metabolic disorder characterized by an impaired bone formation that leads to increased morbidity and mortality.<i> Salvia officinalis </i>is a source of phytoestrogens that could help mitigate the risk of osteoporotic rat fracture by exerting sex hormones. Therefore, the present study was designed to investigate the curative effect of <i>Salvia officinalis </i>Extract<i> </i>(SOE) and<i> </i>17β-estradiol (E<sub>2</sub>) and their combination<i> </i>on bone loss in female rats with ovariectomy-induced estrogen deficiency <b>Materials and Methods:</b> Forty adult female albino rats were divided into five groups, which included Sham control (Sham), ovariectomy (OVX), OVX+SOE, OVX+E<sub>2</sub> and OVX +SOE+E<sub>2</sub>.<i> </i>SOE (10 mL kg<sup></sup><sup>1</sup>) and E<sub>2</sub> (30 μg kg<sup></sup><sup>1</sup>) had been daily gavaged in the OVX+SOE, OVX+E<sub>2</sub> and OVX+SOE+E<sub>2</sub>, respectively for 6-weeks. <b>Results:</b> The model of ovariectomy resulted in osteoporosis as demonstrated by the decreased serum Ca, P, vitamin D, E<sub>2</sub> level associated with a significant increase in PTH levels in comparison to the sham control group. Besides, OVX to rats caused up-regulation in the levels of CTX-1, P1NP, BALP, OC and RANKL comparable to the sham control group. Moreover, SOE and E<sub>2</sub> significantly modulated the calciotropic parameters and improved all bone turnover markers as well as RANKL as compared to the OVX group. However, Histopathological and immunohistochemical results showed defective mineralization with the destruction of the bone matrix and increased TNF-α expression from the OVX group relative to the treated groups. <b>Conclusion:</b> These results suggest that both SOE and E<sub>2</sub> or their combined administration are efficient inhibitors against ovariectomy-induced bone loss in female rats.

The therapeutic effect to eldecalcitol + bisphosphonate is superior to bisphosphonate alone in the treatment of osteoporosis: a meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Osteoporosis is a metabolic bone disease. Bisphosphonate (BP) and eldecalcitol (ELD) are two clinical first-line drugs for osteoporosis patients. However, the effect of ELD + BP vs. BP alone on osteoporosis treatment is still unclear. The present meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the different therapeutic effect of BP + ELD vs. BP alone in osteoporosis treatment.

METHODS

Eligible documents that selected from online databases including PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library were included in this study (updated to March 3, 2020). The quality assessment of the included studies was based on the guidelines of Cochrane. Meta-analysis was performed according to criteria such as intervention plan and outcome. The indicators including bone mineral density (BMD) in all enrolled studies were included in the current analysis. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) and weighted mean differences (WMDs) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using fixed- or random-effects models. Then, heterogeneity analysis was performed based on Cochran's Q test and I2 statistics.

RESULTS

A total of 4 studies (456 cases) with high quality were enrolled in this study. The effect of ELD + BP was superior to BP alone based on indicators including femoral neck BMD (FN-BMD) and total hip BMD (TH-BMD) in patients with followed up ≤ 6 months. Moreover, the effect of ELD + BP was superior to BP alone based on lumbar spine BMD (LS-BMD) in patients with 12 months followed up.

CONCLUSION

Therapeutic effect of ELD + BP was superior to BP alone in osteoporotic patients based on the influence of BMD.

Inhibition of vitamin D analog eldecalcitol on hepatoma in vitro and in vivo

Hepatoma is a serious liver cancer with high morbidity and mortality. Eldecalcitol (ED-71), a vitamin D analog, is extensively used as anti-cancer agent in vitro. Hepatocellular carcinoma cell, SMMC-7721 cell lines were used in this study. Transwell assay, cell apoptosis and cell cycle detection assays were investigated after treatment with ED-71 and phosphate buffered saline (PBS) as control. Sizes of tumors were measured after ED-71 treatment in a mouse model. E-cadherin and Akt gene expressions were detected by real-time PCR (RT-PCR). The results showed that cell invasion and migration were decreased markedly after ED-71 treatment compared to control group. Cell cycle detection showed that the G2 stage was 13.18% and total S-stage was 41.16% in the ED-71 group and G2 stage: 22.88%, total S-stage: 27.34% in the control group. Cell apoptosis rate was promoted in the ED-71 group. Size of the tumors reduced more after the ED-71 treatment than the PBS treatment in mice. ED-71 markedly inhibited the expression of Akt and E-cadherin, either detected by immunohistochemistry or RT-PCR. ED-71 treatment can inhibit the hepatoma agent proliferation by increasing the E-cadherin expression and decreasing Akt expression. Therefore, these findings provide novel evidence that ED-71 can be used as an anti-hepatoma agent.