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Prunetin is an O-methylated isoflavone, known for its beneficial properties. However, its specific pharmacological effects in the treatment of osteoporosis (OP) remain poorly understood. This study aims to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the antiosteoporotic effects of prunetin through a combination of bioinformatics analysis and cell experiments. We gathered predicted targets of prunetin from various online platforms. Differential expression analysis of mRNAs in patients with OP was conducted using the Limma package, based on the GSE35959 dataset. A PPI network diagram was visualized and analyzed using Cytoscape 3.7.2 software. Molecular docking was employed to assess the binding affinity between ligands and receptors, and selected key genes were further validated through cell experiments. A total of 4062 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified from the GSE35959 dataset. Among these, 58 genes were found to overlap with the targets of prunetin, indicating their potential as therapeutic targets. The enrichment analysis indicated these targets were mainly enriched in MAPK, FoxO, and mTOR signaling pathways. The molecular docking analysis demonstrated that prunetin exhibited strong binding activity with the core targets. Furthermore, cell experiments revealed that prunetin effectively reversed the expression levels of ALB, ESR1, PTGS2, and FGFR1 mRNA in MC3T3-E1 cells treated with dexamethasone (DEX). Our research revealed the multi-pathway and multi-target features of prunetin in treating OP, shedding light on the potential mechanisms underlying the effectiveness of prunetin against OP. These findings serve as a theoretical foundation for future drug development in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Herpes zoster (HZ) is a disease caused by the reactivation of the varicella zoster virus. Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is the most common complication of HZ., Aim: Repetitive paravertebral block with local anaesthetics and dexmedetomidine for the prevention of PHN in patients with acute herpes zoster., Material and Methods: 104 patients with acute herpes zoster were randomly divided into two groups. Group Rop received repetitive paravertebral block with 0.25% ropivacaine 20 ml per 72 h three times. Group Dex received repetitive paravertebral block with a mixture of 0.25% ropivacaine 20 ml and dexmedetomidine 20 µg per 72 h three times. Patients were permitted to take tramadol when the visual analogue scale (VAS) ≥ 4. The incidence of zoster-related pain was recorded at 1, 3, and 6 months after the end of treatments; VAS scores and the dose of rescue drug were recorded at 1 week, 2 weeks, 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months after the end of treatments., Results: At 1 month post therapy, the incidence of zoster-related pain was 11% in Group Dex, compared with 35% in Group Rop ( p = 0.005). At 3 months post therapy, the incidence of zoster-related pain in Group Dex was still significantly lower than in Group Rop. The VAS scores and the dose of rescue drug in Group Dex were also significantly lower than in Group Rop at each time point ( p < 0.05)., Conclusions: Repetitive paravertebral block with local anaesthetics and dexmedetomidine in patients with acute herpes zoster can significantly reduce the incidence of zoster-related pain., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Termedia.)