Oligosaccharides from the plant Amorphophallus konjac were potentially effective in menopausal osteoporosis due to their prebiotic attributes. The present work mainly studied the regulation of konjac oligosaccharides (KOS) on menopausal bone loss. Experiments were carried out in ovariectomized (OVX) rats, and various contents of KOS were correlated with diet. After 3 months of treatment, the degree of osteoporosis was determined by bone mineral density and femoral microarchitecture. The research data showed that the 8% dietary KOS significantly alleviated bone loss in OVX rats, as it promoted the bone trabecular number by 134.2% and enhanced the bone bending stiffness by 103.1%. From the perspective of the gut-bone axis, KOS promoted gut barrier repair and decreased pro-inflammatory cytokines. Besides, KOS promoted the growth of Bifidobacterium longum and restored Treg/Th17 balance in bone marrow. The two aspects contributed to decreased osteoclastogenic activity and thus inhibited inflammation-related bone loss. This work extended current knowledge of prebiotic inhibition on bone loss and provide an alternative strategy for osteoporosis prevention.
Keywords: gut microbiota; immune response; konjac oligosaccharides; menopausal osteoporosis; osteoclastogenic activity.