Is extra virgin olive oil a promising remedy for reducing the impact of postmenopausal osteoporosis? An experimental study

Abstract

Introduction: Osteoporosis, particularly postmenopausal osteoporosis, is a significant global health challenge with limited treatment options due to severe side effects associated with the long-term use of conventional therapies. Therefore, this study aims to provide a potentially novel therapeutic approach by examining olive oil's effects on bone mineral density (BMD), biochemical markers, biomechanical properties, and histopathological changes in an ovariectomized (OVX) rat model.

Methods: In this study, Twenty-four 6-month-old female Wistar rats were randomly allocated into four equal groups (n = 6 rats, for each group): control group, rats given 1mL/100g olive oil, ovariectomized rats (OVX-group), and OVX rats treated with olive oil. The femoral bone mineral density (BMD), biochemical parameters, biomechanical properties, and histopathological features were studied.

Results: After 3 months of extra virgin olive oil treatment, there were significant improvements in the different estimated parameters. This was demonstrated by preventing the changes in bone remodeling and BMD, improving the hormonal changes, oxidant/antioxidant imbalance, and abnormal levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines associated with OVX-induced osteoporosis. In addition, there was a marked improvement in the histological architecture of the cancellous and cortical bone appearance.

Conclusion: Olive oil dietary intake effectively reduces the impact of osteoporosis induced by ovariectomy in rats, suggesting a potentially feasible treatment option for postmenopausal osteoporosis that benefits bone architecture without any detrimental side effects on women's health.

Keywords: olive oil; osteoporosis; ovariectomy; postmenopausal; rats; tumor necrosis factor-α.

Figure 1

Effect of olive oil on serum BMD and biochemical parameters in all experimental groups including (A) serum P, (B) bone P, (C) serum Ca, (D) Bone Ca, (E) serum ALP, (F) bone ALP. P, phosphorous; Ca, calcium; ALP, alkaline phosphatase. *P < 0.05, and ***P < 0.0001 in comparison with control group. ^#P < 0.05 and ^###P < 0.0001 in comparison with OVX group.

Figure 2

Effect of olive oil on level changes of serum hormones and bone turnover markers in all experimental groups including (A) parathyroid hormone (PTH), (B) estradiol (E2) hormone (C) tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and (D) interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β) in all experimental groups. OVX: ovariectomized. **P < 0.001 and ***P < 0.0001 in comparison with control group. ^#P < 0.05 and ^###P < 0.0001 in comparison with OVX group.

Figure 3

CT scan of the rat femurs in all experimental groups. a1, b1, c1, d1 represent the 3D images of the femur within the rat group. a2, b2, c2, d2 Coronal scan for the femur within the rat group. a3, b3, c3, d3 axial scan for the cortical BT of the femur within the rat group. a4, b4, c4, d4 axial scan for the trabecular bone TMD of the femur within the rat group.

Figure 4

Photomicrograph of the femur bone tissue stained with hematoxylin and eosin (HE, 10x). (A) Showing normal cortical (CB) and trabecular bone (TB), in addition to normal bone marrow (BM) in the Group I (control group). (B) In Group II (olive-oil group) normal bone marrow stem cells (BM) appear as small cells with large basophilic nuclei and scanty cytoplasm with scattered fat globules. (C) Showing histological alteration of trabeculae (TB) and cortical bone (CB) with bone marrow (BM) degeneration and widening of bone marrow spaces in Group III (OVX-group). (D) In Group IV (olive-OVX group) showing normal cortical bone (CB) with normal osteoblasts (OB) and normal osteoid matrix with normal bony trabeculae (TB).