TMT‐based proteomics analysis to screen potential biomarkers of Achyranthis Bidentatae Radix for osteoporosis in rats

Abstract This study aimed to explore the possible mechanism of Achyranthis Bidentatae Radix for the treatment of osteoporosis using tandem mass tag‐based proteomics technique combined with mass spectrometry. Proteomics techniques combined with bioinformatics were used to analyze the biological functions of differentially expressed proteins. In addition, western blotting was performed to verify the expression of related proteins. A total of 3,752 proteins were identifiable by proteomic analysis. Furthermore, 93 differentially expressed proteins were identified, of which 61 were upregulated and 32 were downregulated. Differentially expressed proteins were primarily associated with oxidative phosphorylation ( p = 4.8 × 10 −4 ) pathways and involved in transmembrane transport ( p = 3.5 × 10 −3 ), exocytic process ( p = 1.2 × 10 −2 ), cellular developmental process ( p = 1.3 × 10 −2 ), adenosine triphosphate metabolic process ( p = 1.0 × 10 −2 ) and other biological processes. Western blotting analysis showed that MT‐CYB and NDUFA9 were differentially expressed in the bone microenvironment of rats with osteoporosis. We speculated that they were potential biomarkers linked to osteoporosis. This study employed proteomics to explore the potential therapeutic targets of Achyranthis Bidentatae Radix to treat osteoporosis. This revealed that mitochondria are a new target for the treatment of glucocorticoid‐induced osteoporosis.