Proteomic Analysis to Explore the Effect of Zishen Jiangtang Pills on Diabetic Osteoporosis Rats

Context Zishen Jiangtang Pill (ZJP) is a Chinese herbal compound that could play a positive role in the treatment of Diabetic osteoporosis (DOP) by regulating glucose and bone metabolism. However, the specific mechanisms are still unclear. Background To explore the effect and mechanism of ZJP on DOP rats by proteomic analysis. Materials and methods After the establishment of diabetes model by 0.2% STZ, 40 Wistar rats were equally divided into normal group, model group (diabetic rats), high dose group (3.0 g/kg/d ZJP) and low dose group (1.5 g/kg/d ZJP), and received 3 months of treatment. Histological changes in bone and pancreas tissues were observed by Hematoxylin and eosin staining, electron microscopy, and immunofluorescence. Proteomic and bioinformatics analyses were performed to identify the differentially expressed proteins. The fingerprint and active ingredients of ZJP were identified via HPLC. Results Compared with the model group, ZJP could rescue the weight, fasting blood glucose and fasting insulin of rats in both high and low dose group. ZJP could also improve the micro-structures of pancreatic islet cells, and bone mass, trabecular and marrow cavities in DOP rats. Bioinformatic analysis suggested that ZJP might influence DOP via multiple pathways, mainly including ribosomes, vitamin digestion and absorption, and fat digestion and absorption. The primary active ingredients, including notoginsenoside R1, ginsenoside Rg1, ginsenoside Re, icariin, and ginsenoside Rb1 were detected. Conclusion ZJP could significantly improve the histomorphology and ultrastructure of bone and islets tissues, and might serve as an effective alternative medicine for the treatment of DOP.