Supplementation of nanofiltrated deep ocean water ameliorate the progression of osteoporosis in ovariectomized rat via regulating osteoblast differentiation

Enhanced Mechanical Properties, Corrosion Resistance, Cytocompatibility, Osteogenesis, and Antibacterial Performance of Biodegradable Mg-2Zn-0.5Ca-0.5Sr/Zr Alloys for Bone-Implant Application

Magnesium (Mg) alloys are widely used in bone fixation and bone repair as biodegradable bone-implant materials. However, their clinical application is limited due to their fast corrosion rate and poor mechanical stability. Here, the development of Mg-2Zn-0.5Ca-0.5Sr (MZCS) and Mg-2Zn-0.5Ca-0.5Zr (MZCZ) alloys with improved mechanical properties, corrosion resistance, cytocompatibility, osteogenesis performance, and antibacterial capability is reported. The hot-extruded (HE) MZCZ sample exhibits the highest ultimate tensile strength of 255.8 ± 2.4 MPa and the highest yield strength of 208.4 ± 2.8 MPa and an elongation of 15.7 ± 0.5%. The HE MZCS sample shows the highest corrosion resistance, with the lowest corrosion current density of 0.2 ± 0.1 µA cm-2 and the lowest corrosion rate of 4 ± 2 µm per year obtained from electrochemical testing, and a degradation rate of 368 µm per year and hydrogen evolution rate of 0.83 ± 0.03 mL cm-2 per day obtained from immersion testing. The MZCZ sample shows the highest cell viability in relation to MC3T3-E1 cells among all alloy extracts, indicating good cytocompatibility except at 25% concentration. Furthermore, the MZCZ alloy shows good antibacterial capability against Staphylococcus aureus.

A Combination of Deep-Sea Water and Fucoidan Alleviates T2DM through Modulation of Gut Microbiota and Metabolic Pathways

Fucoidan and deep-sea water (DSW) are attractive marine resources for treating type 2 diabetes (T2DM). In this study, the regulation and mechanism associated with the co-administration of the two were first studied using T2DM rats, induced by a high fat diet (HFD) and streptozocin (STZ) injection. Results demonstrate that, compared to those with DSW or FPS alone, the orally administered combination of DSW and FPS (CDF), especially the high dose (H-CDF), could preferably inhibit weight loss, decrease levels of fasting blood glucose (FBG) and lipids, and improve hepatopancreatic pathology and the abnormal Akt/GSK-3β signaling pathway. The fecal metabolomics data show that H-CDF could regulate the abnormal levels of metabolites mainly through the regulation of linoleic acid (LA) metabolism, bile acid (BA) metabolism, and other related pathways. Moreover, H-CDF could adjust the diversity and richness of bacterial flora and enrich bacterial groups, such as Lactobacillaceae and Ruminococcaceae UCG-014. In addition, Spearman correlation analysis illustrated that the interaction between the gut microbiota and BAs plays an essential role in the action of H-CDF. In the ileum, H-CDF was verified to inhibit activation of the farnesoid X receptor (FXR)-fibroblast growth factor 15 (FGF15) pathway, which is regulated by the microbiota-BA-axis. In conclusion, H-CDF enriched Lactobacillaceae and Ruminococcaceae UCG-014, thereby changing BA metabolism, linoleic acid metabolism, and other related pathways, as well as enhancing insulin sensitivity and improving glucose and lipid metabolism.

Effects of Microfiltered Seawater Intake and Variable Resistance Training on Strength, Bone Health, Body Composition, and Quality of Life in Older Women: A 32-Week Randomized, Double-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled Trial

The aim was to explore the effects of a 32-week resistance training (RT) intervention with elastic bands with or without microfiltered seawater (SW) supplementation on isokinetic strength, bone mineral density (BMD), body composition, and subjective quality of life in postmenopausal women. Ninety-three untrained women (age: 70.00 ± 6.26 years; body mass index: 22.05 ± 3.20 kg/m²; body fat: 37.77 ± 6.38%; 6.66 ± 1.01 s up-and-go test) voluntarily participated in this randomized, double-blinded, controlled trial. Participants were allocated into four groups (RT+SW, RT+PLA, CON+SW, and CON+PLA). The RT intervention (twice weekly) consisted of different exercises for the whole body performed at submaximal intensities with elastic bands. Both control groups were not involved in any exercise program. A two-way mixed analysis of variance of repeated measures revealed significant improvements in almost all the variables in both intervention groups (p < 0.05). However, significant differences with controls were encountered in isokinetic strength, body fat percentage, and bodily pain. Although the group with SW supplementation obtained greater effect sizes, non-significant differences between both RT groups were observed. In conclusion, the determinant factor of the adaptations seems to be RT rather than SW.

Bone regeneration in osteoporosis: opportunities and challenges

Osteoporosis is a bone disorder characterised by low bone mineral density, reduced bone strength, increased bone fragility, and impaired mineralisation of bones causing an increased risk of bone fracture. Several therapies are available for treating osteoporosis which include bisphosphonates, anti-resorptive agents, oestrogen modulators, etc. These therapies primarily focus on decreasing bone resorption and do not assist in bone regeneration or offering permanent curative solutions. Additionally, these therapies are associated with severe adverse events like thromboembolism, increased risk of stroke, and hypocalcaemia. To overcome these limitations, bone regenerative pathways and approaches are now considered to manage osteoporosis. The bone regenerative pathways involved in bone regeneration include wingless-related integration site/β-catenin signalling pathway, notch signalling pathway, calcium signalling, etc. The various regenerative approaches which possess potential to heal and replace the bone defect site include scaffolds, cements, cell therapy, and other alternative medicines. The review focuses on describing the challenges and opportunities in bone regeneration for osteoporosis.

Deep Sea Water Inhibited Pancreatic β-Cell Apoptosis and Regulated Glucose Homeostasis by Affecting Lipid Metabolism in Db/Db Mice

PURPOSE

Deep sea water (DSW) is a natural resource rich in minerals, which participates in biological processes such as energy metabolism, regulates serum glucose and lipids levels, and has a certain protective effect on endocrine and metabolism-related diseases. Studies have shown that the improvement of glucose tolerance in diabetic mice by DSW may be associated with the protective effect on the structure and function of pancreatic islets, and the specific mechanism is still unclear. Other studies have shown that long-term exposure to high concentrations of fatty acids can lead to apoptosis and dysfunction of pancreatic β-cell, increasing the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Down-regulation of plasma fatty acid levels may reduce pancreatic β-cell dysfunction, thereby improving glucose homeostasis. Understanding the specific mechanism of DSW regulating blood glucose is of great significance for its clinical application.

METHODS

In the present study we used db/db mice as a T2DM model and treated mice with deep ocean mineral concentration (DOMC, a commercial product of DSW) for 4 and 12 weeks. Basic information, serum biochemical indicators, and pathological tissues were gathered for exploration.

RESULTS

The db/db mice treated with 4 weeks' DOMC (db/db+DOMC) showed decreased plasma cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Tests implied that in adipose tissues, the db/db+DOMC group's lipolysis process was inhibited, and the β-fatty acid oxidation process was promoted. Besides, DOMC reduced lipogenesis and encouraged β-oxidation in the liver, as a result, improved fatty liver in db/db mice. Further measurements showed DOMC improved glucose homeostasis slightly in db/db animals after a 12-week treatment by preventing pancreatic β-cell apoptosis.

CONCLUSION

DOMC inhibited pancreatic β-cell apoptosis and regulated glucose homeostasis in db/db mice by lowering the lipid levels via regulation of fatty acid β-oxidation, lipolysis, and lipogenesis processes.

Antiosteoporosis effects of a marine antimicrobial peptide pardaxin via regulation of the osteogenesis pathway

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are known to play an important role in natural immunity. Moreover, the diverse biological activities of AMPs showed great potency in treating many diseases. Thus, in this study, we used an AMP, that is, pardaxin, from a marine fish (Pardachirus marmoratus), which has been reported to possess antibacterial and antitumor activities. We first investigated the mechanisms of pardaxin in promoting osteogenic differentiation in vitro and in vivo. As per our data, it was determined that pardaxin could stimulate bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) and downstream cascade. The activation of BMP-2 could further induce the phosphorylation of Akt and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK). Additionally, the activation of p-Akt and p-ERK could prompt the elevation and translocation of runt-related transcription factor 2 (runx-2), which is associated with osteoblast differentiation. The translocation of runx-2 initiated transcription and translation of osteogenesis-related markers, including alkaline phosphatase (ALP), osterix, and osteocalcin. Pardaxin significantly facilitated preosteoblast cells in mineralization and reversed dexamethasone- (DM-) induced zebrafish bone formation deficiency by activating the osteogenesis pathway. Therefore, we suggest that pardaxin could be a possible candidate for osteoporosis treatment and a promising therapeutic agent.