Conjugated Shilajit‐Loaded Chitosan Nanoparticles and Alendronate as Regulators for Osteoporosis: The Correlation Between Bone Mineral Density, Immunity, Antioxidants, and Leptin

Shilajit is a multicomponent natural mineral substance that contains more than 85 types of ionic minerals in addition to fulvic and humic acids. Effects of consuming a shilajit‐fortified diet on disease resistance, immune response, and antioxidant activity have been reported. Evidence has proven that it can aid in the treatment of postosteoporosis, but limited information is available on its efficacy in comparison to commonly used drugs. Along with dietary factors, long‐term use of glucocorticoids has been shown to lead to osteopenia and osteoporosis: glucocorticoid‐induced osteoporosis (GIO). This study is aimed at examining the effects of combined treatment of shilajit and loaded shilajit extract (SE) onto chitosan nanoparticles (SE/Ch) with sodium alendronate (SAl) on bone compared with SAl in experimental GIO. Adult albino male rats were classified into different groups: negative control group, GIO group (induced by intramuscular injection of methylprednisolone subcutaneously for 60 days), six treated groups with shilajit and standard pharmacologic osteoporosis therapy combined with shilajit for different durations, and two groups treated with SE/Ch and SAl for different durations. The Ch/SE nanocomposite had a mean diameter of 218.4 nm, and its conjugation with SAl was verified via FTIR. The SE/Ch combined with SAl significantly improved liver function, kidney function, antioxidant biomarkers, and leptin in all treated groups, as compared with GIO; the concentrations of liver enzymes (ALT, AST, and ALP), albumin, total protein, creatinine, and uric acid in SE/Ch/SAl‐treated groups were 3.43, 1.11, and 6.79 U/L, 4.29 and 172.28 g/dL, and 34.58 and 27.24 mg/dL, respectively. The C‐reactive protein (CRP) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) as inflammatory markers were improved in SE/Ch/SAl‐treated groups to record 22.48 mg/L and 12.37 and 11.91 mm/h for CRP, ESR1, and ESR2, respectively. Additionally, there were significant differences in bone mineral density (BMD) level among SE/Ch/SAl‐treated groups, with 0.223 g/cm 2 level. We suggest that the SE/Ch combination with SAl is a significantly effective and ideal antiosteoporotic treatment for controlling human osteoporosis diseases.