# Estradiol and vitamin D exert a synergistic effect on preventing osteoporosis via the miR-351-5p/IRS1 axis and mTOR/NFκB signaling pathway

## TL;DR

Estradiol and vitamin D work together to prevent osteoporosis by affecting specific genes and signaling pathways that support bone growth.

## Contribution

The study reveals a synergistic effect of estradiol and vitamin D in preventing osteoporosis via the miR-351-5p/IRS1 axis and mTOR/NFκB pathway.

## Key findings

- Estradiol and vitamin D combination treatment promotes cell proliferation and osteogenic differentiation in MC3T3-E1 cells.
- miR-351-5p is downregulated by the combination treatment and its overexpression reverses osteogenic effects.
- The combination treatment inhibits the mTOR/NFκB signaling pathway in an osteoporosis mouse model.

## Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the antiosteoporotic effects and regulatory mechanisms of estradiol (E2) and vitamin D. MC3T3-E1 cells were treated with E2, vitamin D, or their combination, followed by a systematic assessment of cell proliferation and osteogenic differentiation capacity across the treatment groups. Subsequently, miRNA sequencing was performed to analyze differentially expressed miRNAs between the control and E2&vitamin D groups. The target relationship between miR-351-5p and IRS1 was validated, and the effects of the miR-351-5p/IRS1 axis on osteogenesis and mTOR/NFκB signaling pathway were determined after combination treatment. Additionally, an ovariectomized (OVX) osteoporosis mouse model was established to ‌systematically examine‌ the effects of E2, vitamin D, and their combination on osteoporosis and mTOR/NFκB signaling pathway. E2 and vitamin D synergistically promoted MC3T3-E1 cell proliferation and osteogenic differentiation. miR-351-5p was identified through miRNA sequencing analysis. miR-351-5p was downregulated in MC3T3-E1 cells after E2 and vitamin D combination treatment, and its overexpression partially reversed the effect of the combination treatment on osteogenesis. IRS1 was a target of miR-351-5p. When overexpressed, IRS1 partially mitigated the impact of miR-351-5p overexpression on osteogenesis and mTOR/NFκB signaling pathway under the combination treatment. Furthermore, in vivo experiments demonstrated that E2 and vitamin D could synergistically prevent osteoporosis in OVX mice by inhibiting the mTOR/NFκB signaling pathway. In conclusion, E2 and vitamin D exhibited a synergistic effect in preventing osteoporosis through the miR-351-5p/IRS1 axis and mTOR/NFκB signaling pathway. E2 and vitamin D combination treatment could be a potential anti-osteoporotic strategy for osteoporosis treatment.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1038/s41598-025-02808-z.