Effect of Henggu gushang mixture on low back pain, bone transformation, serum IGF-1 and Apelin-13 in elderly patients with osteoporosis

Purpose: To investigate the effect of Henggu gushang mixture on low back pain, bone transformation, serum insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) and apelin-13 (Apelin-13) in elderly patients with osteoporosis. Methods: A total of 80 elderly patients with osteoporosis in Ningbo Rehabilitation Hospital, Ningbo, China were divided randomly and equally into study and control groups. Study group received Henggu Gushang mixture in addition to calcium carbonate D3+ alfacalcidol for three months. Control group received calcium carbonate D3+ alfacalcidol. The effectiveness of therapy, visual analogue scale (VAS), levels of bone transformation markers (procollagen type I N-terminal propeptide (PINP) and type 1 collagen cross-linked C-telopeptide (CTX-1)), serum insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1), and Apelin-13 were compared. Adverse drug reactions were also recorded. Results: Total response rate in the study group was significantly higher compared to control group (p < 0.05). It also showed significantly lower VAS scores after 7 days, 1 and 3 months of treatment compared to control group (p < 0.05). After treatment, the levels of PINP and CTX-1 were significantly lower while serum osteocalcin (OC), IGF-1 and Apelin-13 were significantly higher in the study group compared to control group (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse reactions between the two groups (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Henggu gushang mixture significantly relieves low back pain in elderly patients with osteoporosis, which is beneficial to improving bone transformation and metabolism. Future studies should focus on long-term outcomes using larger sample sizes from multi-center to better assess the therapeutic potential of this combined regimen.