Vitamin K2 inhibits PGE2-mediated osteoblast ferroptosis by upregulation of CBR1 via the Nrf2/Keap1 pathway

Abstract Osteoporosis is increasingly attracting attention. Studies have indicated a correlation between vitamin K2 levels and bone mass, but the specific mechanisms remain unclear. Therefore, this study aims to further elucidate the specific molecular mechanisms and related target proteins. We foun...

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Main Authors: Lin Tao, Hongyang Li, Jinpeng Wang, Qichang Liu, Wenhai Cao, Yue Zhu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-07-01
Series:Communications Biology
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-025-08564-0
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author Lin Tao
Hongyang Li
Jinpeng Wang
Qichang Liu
Wenhai Cao
Yue Zhu
author_facet Lin Tao
Hongyang Li
Jinpeng Wang
Qichang Liu
Wenhai Cao
Yue Zhu
author_sort Lin Tao
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Osteoporosis is increasingly attracting attention. Studies have indicated a correlation between vitamin K2 levels and bone mass, but the specific mechanisms remain unclear. Therefore, this study aims to further elucidate the specific molecular mechanisms and related target proteins. We found that serum vitamin K2 level in osteoporosis women was significantly lower than that in normal women. Animal experiments confirmed the anti-osteoporotic effects of vitamin K2. The mechanism and target of vitamin K2 therapy for osteoporosis was investigated through metabolomics and transcriptomics sequencing. Molecular docking was employed to identify downstream target proteins of vitamin K2, while EMSA and ChIP-qPCR were used to explore the specific molecular mechanisms. The results indicate that vitamin K2 promotes bone formation. Additionally, vitamin K2 may bind to the downstream target protein Nrf2 and inhibit Keap1-mediated ubiquitination, and Nrf2 has been shown to up-regulate CBR1 to inhibit osteoblast ferroptosis caused by the inflammatory factor PGE2. In summary, our study demonstrates that Vitamin K2 attenuates bone loss by inhibiting osteoblast ferroptosis, highlighting its therapeutic potential for osteoporosis. These findings advance our understanding of Vitamin K2-mediated osteoprotective effects and facilitate the identification of novel drug targets for osteoporosis treatment.
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issn 2399-3642
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spelling doaj-art-ace9f43664c549b4a2fa0ee220abe1d22025-08-20T03:43:21ZengNature PortfolioCommunications Biology2399-36422025-07-018111610.1038/s42003-025-08564-0Vitamin K2 inhibits PGE2-mediated osteoblast ferroptosis by upregulation of CBR1 via the Nrf2/Keap1 pathwayLin Tao0Hongyang Li1Jinpeng Wang2Qichang Liu3Wenhai Cao4Yue Zhu5Department of Orthopedics, First Hospital of China Medical UniversityDepartment of Orthopedics, First Hospital of China Medical UniversityDepartment of Orthopedics, First Hospital of China Medical UniversityDepartment of Orthopedics, First Hospital of China Medical UniversityDepartment of Orthopedics, First Hospital of China Medical UniversityDepartment of Orthopedics, First Hospital of China Medical UniversityAbstract Osteoporosis is increasingly attracting attention. Studies have indicated a correlation between vitamin K2 levels and bone mass, but the specific mechanisms remain unclear. Therefore, this study aims to further elucidate the specific molecular mechanisms and related target proteins. We found that serum vitamin K2 level in osteoporosis women was significantly lower than that in normal women. Animal experiments confirmed the anti-osteoporotic effects of vitamin K2. The mechanism and target of vitamin K2 therapy for osteoporosis was investigated through metabolomics and transcriptomics sequencing. Molecular docking was employed to identify downstream target proteins of vitamin K2, while EMSA and ChIP-qPCR were used to explore the specific molecular mechanisms. The results indicate that vitamin K2 promotes bone formation. Additionally, vitamin K2 may bind to the downstream target protein Nrf2 and inhibit Keap1-mediated ubiquitination, and Nrf2 has been shown to up-regulate CBR1 to inhibit osteoblast ferroptosis caused by the inflammatory factor PGE2. In summary, our study demonstrates that Vitamin K2 attenuates bone loss by inhibiting osteoblast ferroptosis, highlighting its therapeutic potential for osteoporosis. These findings advance our understanding of Vitamin K2-mediated osteoprotective effects and facilitate the identification of novel drug targets for osteoporosis treatment.https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-025-08564-0
spellingShingle Lin Tao
Hongyang Li
Jinpeng Wang
Qichang Liu
Wenhai Cao
Yue Zhu
Vitamin K2 inhibits PGE2-mediated osteoblast ferroptosis by upregulation of CBR1 via the Nrf2/Keap1 pathway
Communications Biology
title Vitamin K2 inhibits PGE2-mediated osteoblast ferroptosis by upregulation of CBR1 via the Nrf2/Keap1 pathway
title_full Vitamin K2 inhibits PGE2-mediated osteoblast ferroptosis by upregulation of CBR1 via the Nrf2/Keap1 pathway
title_fullStr Vitamin K2 inhibits PGE2-mediated osteoblast ferroptosis by upregulation of CBR1 via the Nrf2/Keap1 pathway
title_full_unstemmed Vitamin K2 inhibits PGE2-mediated osteoblast ferroptosis by upregulation of CBR1 via the Nrf2/Keap1 pathway
title_short Vitamin K2 inhibits PGE2-mediated osteoblast ferroptosis by upregulation of CBR1 via the Nrf2/Keap1 pathway
title_sort vitamin k2 inhibits pge2 mediated osteoblast ferroptosis by upregulation of cbr1 via the nrf2 keap1 pathway
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-025-08564-0
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