Effect of Compound Supplement on the Bone Health of Rats with Osteoporosis Induced by Ovariectomy

Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) has recognized osteoporosis as the second most serious epidemic in the world. There are many factors in the occurrence of osteoporosis, among which amenorrhea and aging are major causes, therefore the risk of osteoporosis increases with age. Moreover, osteoporosis influences personal health and mobility, and in turn, greatly increases national healthcare expenses. It is known that chicken sternal cartilage (CSC) hydrolysate, salmon nasal cartilage extract, turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) extract, mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana) extract, soybean extract, calcium citrate, vitamin C, and vitamin D have the potential to reduce bone loss and protect bones. However, this novel combination for improving bone loss has not yet been studied or discussed. Objective: This study discussed the effect of a CSC formula containing chicken sternal cartilage hydrolysate, salmon nasal cartilage extract, turmeric extract, mangosteen extract, soybean extract, calcium citrate, vitamin C, and vitamin D on improving the osteoporosis of rats which had received ovariectomy. Their body weight, body length, serum biochemical value, bone tissue, and biomechanics were analyzed. Design: The 10-week-old female Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats used in this study were randomly divided into six groups for the experiment, including the sham group (10 rats) and five ovariectomy (OVX) groups (53 rats). Two weeks after the ovariectomy, the following doses were administered to the corresponding groups respectively every day: carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) solvent group (represented by OVX+CMC), and CSC 339 mg/kg (represented by OVX+CSC-L), CSC 678 mg/kg (represented by OVX+CSC-M), CSC 1356 mg/kg (represented by OVX+CSC-H). The positive control (alendronate, 2.5 mg/kg represented by OVX+AD) was administered three times weekly. The rats were sacrificed 14-weeks after administration of the experimental materials. Results: According to the experimental results, in comparison to the OVX+CMC group, the OVX+CSC-L group, OVX+CSCM group, and OVX+CSC-H group could significantly reduce the N-terminal telopeptides of type I collagen, the N-telopeptide (NTX) concentration, and the osteocalcin concentration in the serum. According to the micro-computed tomography analysis, in comparison to the OVX+CMC group, the femoral bone mineral density, trabecular area percentage, and trabecular thickness of the OVX+CSC-L, OVX+CSC-M, and OVX+CSC-H groups increased significantly, and the trabecular separation decreased significantly. According to the biomechanical analysis, in comparison to the OVX+CMC group, the OVX+CSC-L, OVX+CSC-M, and OVX+CSC-H groups could increase the maximum load, hardness, absorbed energy, and Young’s modulus of the femur significantly. Conclusion: CSC can increase the bone mineral density, trabecular area percentage, and trabecular thickness significantly; it can reduce the trabecular separation, NTX and osteocalcin (OCN) concentrations in serum significantly, and it can retard the bone loss induced by ovariectomy effectively, as well as protect bones. It can be used as a mild and long-term dietary supplement; however, the result of long-term administration to the human body should be observed in the future.