Effects of alpha-lipoic acid on tgf-β1 and urotensin-ii levels in glucocorticoid-induced osteonecrosis in rats

Abstract EN

Background: Osteonecrosis (ON) is a serious health problem, which dramatically reduces the quality of life.

Objectives: In the present study on the rat model of glucocorticoids (GCs) -induced ON, we explored the influence of alpha-lipoic acid on serum levels of TGF-β1 and urotensin-II (U-II) and on histological alteration with respect to fatty degeneration and osteocyte necrosis.

Methods: A total of 32 male Wistar albino rats were equally assigned to four groups, including control, methylprednisolone acetate (MPA), alpha-lipoic acid (ALA), and MPA with ALA (MP1 + ALA).

The animals in MPA group subcutaneously received 15 mg/kg/week during 2 weeks, whereas 100 mg/kg/day ALA was intraperitoneally administered to ALA group during 4 weeks.

The MPA + ALA group had both treatments with the same doses.

ON was confirmed and graded histologically.

Lipid peroxidation and DNA damage levels were immunohistochemically assessed in rats’ bones.

Results: After histopathological examinations, ALA injection attenuated oxidative stress levels through reducing both 8-OHdG-and 4-HNE-positive cells in the femoral head region (P < 0.05).

The U-II and TGF-β1 protein levels significantly decreased after ALA treat- ment in MPA injected animals (P < 0.05, P < 0.01, respectively).

Moreover, there was a strong correlation between U-II and TGF-β1 protein levels (P = 0.019, r = 0.884).

Conclusions: This study is novel with regard to showing the therapeutic effects of ALA on GC-induced ON in rats as well as the strong correlation between the expression levels of U-II and TGF-β1 proteins.

In this regard, ALA may be a therapeutic agent in the treatment of ON patients.