Cistanche Deserticola for Regulation of Bone Metabolism: Therapeutic Potential and Molecular Mechanisms on Postmenopausal Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a generalized disease of bone that leads to a loss of bone density and bone mass, destruction of bone microstructure, increased brittleness and therefore fracture. At present, the main treatment of Western medicine is drug therapy such as bisphosphonates, calcitriol, vitamin D, etc. However, long-term use of these drugs may bring some adverse reactions. Chinese herbal medicine Cistanche deserticola could regulate bone metabolism by promoting osteoblast activity and inhibiting osteoclast activity with low toxicity and adverse reactions. Therefore, Cistanche deserticola has attracted increasing attention for its efficacy in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis in recent years. Here we present a literature review of the molecular pathways involved in osteoporosis and the effects of Cistanche deserticola on bone metabolism. Our objective is to clarify the mechanism of Cistanche deserticola in the treatment of osteoporosis.