AUTHOR=Wang Yanjun , Liu Lin , Qu Zechao , Wang Dong , Huang Wangli , Kong Lingbo , Yan Liang 

TITLE=Tanshinone Ameliorates Glucocorticoid-Induced Bone Loss via Activation of AKT1 Signaling Pathway

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology

VOLUME=Volume 10 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cell-and-developmental-biology/articles/10.3389/fcell.2022.878433

DOI=10.3389/fcell.2022.878433

ISSN=2296-634X

ABSTRACT=Purpose: Osteoporosis is a common disorder in postmenopausal women and the elderly, becoming a worldwide public health problem. Osteoporosis can cause joint pain, fragility fractures, and other symptoms, which seriously impair the patients’ daily life. Currently, there is no gold-standard drug that can completely cure osteoporosis. Tanshinone is a traditional Chinese medicine with multiple biological activities. It may have a protective effect on osteoporosis. However, the molecular mechanism of how tanshinone improves osteoporosis remains unclear. The objective of our study is to explore the underlying mechanism. 
Methods: The common KEGG pathways of tanshinone-targeted genes and osteoporosis were studied by us using bioinformatics analysis. The bioinformatics analysis results were further validated by in vitro and in vivo experiments. 
Results: 21 common KEGG pathways were identified between osteoporosis and tanshinone-targeted genes. It was further found that tanshinone could induce the AKT1 expression, promote the MSCs proliferation, and suppress the apoptosis of MSCs. 
Conclusion: Taken together, we conclude that tanshinone can alleviate osteoporosis which is potentially mediated through modulating PI3K-Akt signaling pathway. Tanshinone could be a promising treatment for osteoporosis.