Comparative Biochemical and Histopathological Evaluation of Ginkgo Biloba and Bisphosphonates in Glucocorticoid-Induced Osteoporotic Rats

Recent years have seen a significant interest in Ginkgo biloba extract as a treatment for various chronic diseases. The study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic effect of Ginkgo biloba extract on rats with induced osteoporosis, as measured by relevant biochemical indicators. A histopathological study was conducted to compare the results with those of the osteoporotic group.  This study involves 40 male rats, divided into five equal experimental groups (eight rats per group). The first group represents the control group. Osteoporosis was induced in the remaining four groups, which received orally 10 mg/kg body weight of glucocorticoid three times a week for four weeks. Following the induction of osteoporosis, treatment was initiated for 30 days with bisphosphonates for group 3 and extract of Ginkgo biloba orally for groups 4 and 5 at different doses. Following treatment, rats were anesthetized, and blood samples were collected by heart puncture. Colorimetric methods and the ELISA technique were employed to determine the levels of calcium, calcitonin, and estrogen. The animals were euthanized by cervical dislocation under ethical guidelines, and the femur bone was taken for a histopathology study. Results showed increased levels of calcium, calcitonin, and estrogen (1.3761 ± 0.1526 mmol. /L, 56.45 ± 5.08 pg/ml, and 33.637 ± 1.56 ng/ml), respectively, following treatment with Ginkgo biloba extract (56 mg/kg). Histopathological analysis demonstrated decreased bone integrity in the osteoporotic group and increased it following treatment with Ginkgo biloba extract. In conclusion, a key finding of this study is the improvement in both biomechanical and histological bone indices in an osteoporotic rat model after treatment with the extract of Ginkgo biloba compared to bisphosphonate treatment.