ABSTRACT
In recent years， with the changes of population structure and the aggravation of aging， the prevalence of osteoporosis is increasing year by year. Osteoporosis poses great impacts on the body and family life of the patients and increases the burden on the society. Therefore， the research on osteoporosis is urgent and significant. The imbalance between osteoblasts， osteocytes， and osteoclasts causes abnormal bone metabolism， which destroys the fine structure of bone and increases bone fragility， thus increasing the risk of fracture. Although the pathogenesis of osteoporosis is complex， researchers have confirmed that the imbalance of the endocrine system directly or indirectly promotes the occurrence and development of osteoporosis. Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） is a treasure of Chinese traditional culture and plays a key role in safeguarding the public health. With unique therapeutic effects and advantages， TCM has been widely accepted. Chinese medicines， moxibustion， acupuncture and other TCM therapies have play a unique role in the treatment of osteoporosis. Particularly， TCM prevention and treatment of osteoporosis by regulating the endocrine system has received extensive attention. By reviewing relevant literature， this paper introduces the research progress in the TCM modulation of bone metabolism and alleviation of bone loss by regulating estrogen， calcitonin， and parathyroid hormone in the endocrine system and affecting the hypothalamus capable of regulating these hormones， aiming to provide ideas for the TCM treatment of osteoporosis.
ABSTRACT
With the aging of population， osteoporosis has become one of the main diseases endangering the health of the elderly in China. Therefore， the research on osteoporosis has become a hot spot. Since Chinese medicines demonstrate significant therapeutic effects on osteoporosis， this issue is attracting increasing attention from researchers， especially in the deciphering of the molecular mechanism. This paper introduces the mechanism of the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis by Chinese medicines via the mitogen-activated protein kinase （MAPK） signaling pathway， aiming to provide a theoretical basis for deciphering the mechanism of Chinese medicines in the treatment of osteoporosis and promoting their clinical application. MAPK signaling pathway mainly involves p38 MAPK， extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 （ERK1/2）， c-Jun N-terminal kinase （JNK）， and extracellular signal-regulated kinase 5 （ERK5）. Studies have shown that these proteins play a role in the progression of osteoporosis by regulating cell proliferation， differentiation， and apoptosis. Chinese medicines as a unique therapy with Chinese characteristics has definite efficacy， high safety， and mild side effects. Researchers have proved by experiments that the extracts or compounds of Chinese medicines can significantly mitigate osteoporosis by regulating the proteins involved in the MAPK signaling pathway. Therefore， this article reviews the relevant studies with focus on these proteins.