{
  "abstract": "Theasaponin E2 (TE2) is a triterpenoid saponin isolated from Camellia sinensis seeds with reported anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antitumor activities; however, its effects on osteoclasts remain unclear. In this study, TE2 markedly inhibited RANKL-induced osteoclast differentiation in RAW264.7 cells without affecting precursor-cell viability. TE2 also significantly reduced the number and viability of mature, differentiated osteoclasts. Mechanistically, TE2 suppressed RANKL-induced phosphorylation of AKT at Ser473 and GSK-3β at Ser9, as determined by ELISA. Molecular docking predicted that TE2 could interact with the interdomain allosteric pocket of AKT1 at the pleckstrin homology–kinase domain interface (PDB ID: 7NH5; docking score, −9.8 kcal/mol) and the ATP-binding pocket of GSK-3β (PDB ID: 5K5N; docking score, −7.7 kcal/mol). The selected docking poses contained multiple hydrogen-bonding interactions with donor–acceptor distances of 2.79–3.19 Å. Collectively, these findings indicate that TE2 suppresses osteoclast differentiation and reduces mature osteoclast viability, potentially through modulation of the AKT/GSK-3β signaling axis. TE2 may therefore represent a promising natural-product candidate for further investigation in conditions characterized by excessive osteoclast-mediated bone resorption.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Osteoimmunology & Drug Discovery Research Group, Department of Biology, College of Science, Mathematics and Technology, Wenzhou-Kean University, 88 Daxue Road, Wenzhou 325060, China",
    "Dorothy and George Hennings College of Science, Mathematics and Technology, Kean University, 1000 Morris Ave, Union, NJ 07083, USA",
    "Department of Chemistry, College of Science, Mathematics and Technology, Wenzhou-Kean University, 88 Daxue Road, Wenzhou 325060, China",
    "International Frontier Interdisciplinary Research Institute (IFIRI) of Wenzhou-Kean University, Wenzhou 325060, China"
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 4,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Lifang Zhang",
      "orcid": "0009-0005-3727-1618"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1,
        2
      ],
      "name": "Yili Ding"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Xinyi Bao"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1,
        3
      ],
      "name": "Vishwa Deepak",
      "orcid": "0009-0006-0148-255X"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/58n8rcm36fk7x.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.3390/ijms27209255",
  "fulltext_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13705028",
  "id": "58n8rcm36fk7x",
  "issns": [
    "1422-0067"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/27/20/9255",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "1312|Bone Metabolism and Diseases"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7170523966",
  "pdf_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13705028?pdf=render",
  "pmcid": "PMC13705028",
  "pmid": "42942025",
  "published": "2026-10-18",
  "publisher": "MDPI AG",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/58n8rcm36fk7x.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:18:57Z",
      "native_id": "10.3390/ijms27209255",
      "source": "crossref",
      "url": "https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/27/20/9255"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:22:12Z",
      "native_id": "MED:42942025",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42942025"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biochemistry",
      "origin": "openalex:1312|Bone Metabolism and Diseases",
      "subfield": "molecular-biology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "In Silico and Experimental Evidence for Theasaponin E2 as a Modulator of the AKT1/GSK-3β Signaling Axis in Osteoclast Differentiation",
  "title_text": "In Silico and Experimental Evidence for Theasaponin E2 as a Modulator of the AKT1/GSK-3β Signaling Axis in Osteoclast Differentiation",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:22:12Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/58n8rcm36fk7x",
  "venue": "International Journal of Molecular Sciences",
  "versions": []
}