An Integrative Study on the Inhibition of Bone Loss via Osteo-F Based on Network Pharmacology, Experimental Verification, and Clinical Trials in Postmenopausal Women

The inhibition of bone loss remains a challenge for postmenopausal women, considering the fact that only three anabolic treatments for osteoporosis have been approved by the FDA. This study aimed to investigate the osteogenic capacities of Osteo-F, a newly developed herbal formula, upon integrating network analysis and pre-clinical studies into clinical trials. The network pharmacology analysis showed that a potential mechanism of Osteo-F is closely related to osteoblast differentiation. Consistent with the predicted mechanism, Osteo-F treatment significantly enhanced bone matrix formation and mineralization with collagen expression in osteoblasts. Simultaneously, secreted bone-forming molecules were upregulated by Osteo-F. After the administration of Osteo-F to osteoporotic mice, the femoral BMD and osteocalcin in the serum and bone tissues were significantly improved. Subsequently, a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial showed that 253 mg of Osteo-F supplementation for 24 weeks resulted in significant improvements in the Z-score and serum osteocalcin levels of postmenopausal women compared to the placebo, thus indicating bone anabolic efficacy. In the current study, the bone anabolic effect of Osteo-F was determined by activating the differentiation and mineralization of osteoblasts through integrating experiments based on network analysis into clinical trials, with synchronized, reliable evidence, demonstrating that Osteo-F is a novel bone anabolic treatment in postmenopausal women.