ABSTRACT
AIM: This study aimed to investigate the effect of Ceratonia siliqua on bone mineral density (BMD) as a non-pharmaceutical alternative treatment for postmenopausal osteoporosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty mature female Wistar rats were randomly separated into three groups of 10: Control, ovariectomized (OVX), and ovariectomized-plus-C. siliqua (OVX+CS). Total and proximal BMD were measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) in all groups before ovariectomy, and at 3 and 6 months postoperatively. At the end of the study, the femurs were subjected to a three-point bending test. RESULTS: DEXA revealed no statistically significant difference in absolute values or percentage changes for total tibial BMD between OVX+CS and OVX groups throughout the study. In the proximal tibia, both absolute values and BMD percentage changes from baseline were higher in the OVX+CS group compared to the OVX group after 3 and 6 months of C. siliqua administration. Three-point bending test revealed a significantly higher thickness index in the OVX+CS group compared to the OVX group and a higher cross-sectional area index compared to the control group. CONCLUSION: Long-term administration of C. siliqua may be considered a non-pharmaceutical alternative treatment for postmenopausal osteoporosis. Further research is required to properly investigate the effects, and suitable treatment dose and schedule.
