LB077 - EXPLORING THE MECHANISMS OF SOY SPROUT EXTRACT IN IMPROVING BONE METABOLISM IN OVARIECTOMIZED MICE

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LB077

EXPLORING THE MECHANISMS OF SOY SPROUT EXTRACT IN IMPROVING BONE METABOLISM IN OVARIECTOMIZED MICE

J.-W. Han1,2,*, J.-Y. Lee1,2, S.-K. Shin1,2, E.-Y. Kwon1,2

1Department of Food Science and Nutrition, 2Center for Food and Nutritional Genomics Research, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Korea, Republic Of

 

Rationale: With aging populations rising globally, the incidence of osteoporosis and other chronic diseases is increasing, driving demand for natural agents with fewer side effects. Soy sprout extract (SSE), rich in isoflavones, has shown promise as a potential anti-osteoporotic agent; however, mechanistic studies remain limited.

Methods: To assess SSE effects on bone metabolism in estrogen-deficient mice, 6 experimental groups were used: sham control (no ovariectomy), OVX control, OVX+estradiol and OVX+low (50mg/kg), medium (100mg/kg), or high (200mg/kg) SSE doses. After 12 weeks, bone density and structure were assessed by DXA and micro-CT. Serum bone turnover markers and gene/protein expression related to bone metabolism were also analyzed.

Results: DXA analysis showed SSE significantly increased bone mineral content (BMC) and density (BMD) in whole body, femur and tibia. Micro-CT showed enhanced trabecular structure with increased bone volume and trabecular number. Plasma calcium and osteocalcin levels increased, while RANKL, CTX-1 and NTX-1 decreased, suggesting enhanced bone formation and reduced resorption. At the mRNA level, SSE upregulated osteogenic markers (Runx2, COL-1, OCN) and downregulated pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β), which promote bone resorption via RANKL induction. Western blot showed decreased p-p38/p38 and increased p-AKT/AKT, indicating SSE regulates bone remodeling by reducing MAPK signaling and promoting AKT-related bone formation. Overall, the anti-osteoporotic effects of SSE appeared dose-dependent.

Conclusion: SSE effectively improved bone density and structure in OVX mice by promoting osteogenesis and inhibiting bone resorption, likely via modulating inflammatory responses and bone remodeling signaling pathways. These results support SSE’s potential as a natural therapeutic agent for osteoporosis and the need for further clinical investigation.

Disclosure of Interest: None declared