The protective effects of silibinin in the treatment of streptozotocin-induced diabetic osteoporosis in rats

Diabetic osteoporosis (DO) is a complication of diabetes mellitus. Our previous study showed that silibinin can attenuate high glucose mediated human bone marrow stem cells dysfunction through antioxidant effect. However, no study has yet investigated the effect of silibinin in diabetic rats. Therefore, we assessed the effects of silibinin on bone characteristics in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. The aim of our study was to determine whether providing silibinin in the different supplementation could prevent bone loss in diabetic rats or not. Rats were randomly divided into four groups: (1) control group (CG) (n = 10); (2) diabetic group (DG) (n = 10); (3) diabetic group with 50 mg kg−1day−1 of silibinin orally (DG-50) (n = 10); and (4) diabetic group with 100 mg kg−1day−1 of silibinin orally (DG-100) (n = 10). 12 weeks after streptozotocin (STZ) injection, the femora from all rats were assessed and oxidative stress was evaluated. Bone mineral density was significantly decreased in diabetic rats; these effects were prevented by treatment with silibinin (100 mg kg−1 day−1 orally). Similarly, in the DG and DG-50 groups, changes in microarchitecture of femoral metaphysis assessed by microcomputed tomography demonstrated simultaneous existence of diabetic osteoporosis; these impairments were prevented by silibinin (100 mg kg−1 day−1 orally). In conclusion, silibinin supplementation may have potential use as a possible therapy for maintaining skeletal health and these results can enhance the understanding of diabetic osteoporosis induced by diabetes.