Astragaloside IV Modulates Oxidative Stress and Osteoimmune -Wnt Signaling in Ovariectomized Rats: An Integrated Study of RNA Sequencing, Molecular Docking, and Experimental Validation
Methods: Female Sprague-Dawley rats underwent bilateral ovariectomy. Six weeks after surgery, OVX rats were randomized to model, positive control, or AS-IV treatment (20/40/80 mg/kg, gavage, 8 weeks), with sham-operated controls. Serum bone-turnover markers (CTX-I, OCN, PTH) and oxidative stress markers (SOD, MDA) were measured by ELISA. Femora were assessed by micro-CT (BMD, BV/TV, Tb.N, Tb.Sp) and H&amp;E staining. RNA sequencing was performed followed by GO/KEGG enrichment and WGCNA to identify hub genes, and molecular docking was used to evaluate AS-IV-target interactions. Multiplex immunofluorescence in the femoral trabecular bone quantified Lep, Ptgs2, Gfap, Igfbp2, Wnt1, b-catenin, and NF-kB p65 region (mean fluorescence intensity, normalized to Sham).