Volume 76 (2026) Issue: 2026 No#2

Effects of a polyherbal mixture on femoral and tibial microarchitecture in rats with diabetic osteoporosis

Author(s): Bojana Maksimović, Aleksandra Petrović, Višnja Madić, Nemanja Mladenović, Bojan Zlatković, Ljubiša Đorđević, Perica Vasiljević

Keywords:diabetes, femur, osteoporosis, polyherbal mixture, tibia

The femur and tibia are prone to the development of osteopenia and osteoporosis, particularly in individuals with diabetes, who are more susceptible than healthy individuals. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a polyherbal mixture composed of Centaurium erythraea aerial parts, Cichorium intybus roots, and Potentilla erecta rhizomes on the microarchitecture of these two bones in non-diabetic and diabetic rats. Diabetes was induced in female Wistar rats by a single intraperitoneal injection of alloxan monohydrate. Animals were treated with four concentrations of the polyherbal mixture – 2.5, 5, 10, and 15 g of dry herbal weight /kg of animal, by oral gavage. Non-diabetic controls received water. Diabetic control groups were treated with water, insulin-glargine (13 IU/kg), or glimepiride (1 mg/kg), respectively. The answer to the therapy was assessed via HbA1c test and pathohistological evaluation of bone tissue. H&E staining was used to evaluate the cortical bone area and osteocyte lacunar area in the epiphysis and the cortical bone, while Masson’s trichrome staining was used for the determination of collagen level and trabecular area in the epiphysis. Neither of the tested concentrations caused any pathological changes in the bones of healthy animals. The highest tested concentration of the polyherbal mixture showed greater efficacy than insulin and glimepiride in improving HbA1c levels and ameliorating microarchitectural alterations induced by alloxan, with more pronounced effects observed in the femur than in the tibia. These findings suggest the osteoprotective potential of this polyherbal mixture in an experimental model of diabetes-induced osteoporosis.