Cornus officinalis is a commonly used herbal for osteoporosis. We aimed to explore the potential mechanism of Cornus officinalis in the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis using network pharmacology.

The active ingredients and targets of Cornus officinalis were screened from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology (TCMSP) database and Uniprot database, and the predictive targets of postmenopausal osteoporosis were screened through the GeneCards database. The intersected targets of Cornus officinalis and disease were then obtained. Cytoscape 3.7.2 software was used to construct a traditional Chinese medicine-component-disease-target regulatory network. The DAVID database was used to analyze the gene ontology (GO) enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopaedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway annotation. The effect and mechanism of potential active ingredients of Cornus officinalis on postmenopausal osteoporosis were verified by cell experiments in vitro.

Twelve active ingredients of Cornus officinalis and 30 effective targets in the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis were screened out. Among them, PTGS2, PTGS1 and ADRB2 might play a crucial role. Experiments have shown that beta-sitosterol increases the expression levels of OPN and RUNX2 in bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells. PTGS2 and TNF-α are two of the 30 potential target genes, and beta-sitosterol can decrease the expression of PTGS2 and TNF-α. Additionally, beta-sitosterol can increase the activity of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and mineralisation in bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs).

The mechanism by which Cornus officinalis treats postmenopausal osteoporosis may involve active ingredients like beta-sitosterol acting on PTGS2 and TNF-α. The results of this study provide a theoretical basis for further research into the complex anti-osteoporosis mechanisms of Cornus officinalis.

Postmenopausal osteoporosis

Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology

Kyoto Encyclopaedia of Genes and Genomes

Protein-protein interaction

Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells

Cornus officinalis

Postmenopausal osteoporosis

Network pharmacology

Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs)

© 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier GmbH.