Deletion of p16 prevents estrogen deficiency-induced osteoporosis by inhibiting oxidative stress and osteocyte senescence.

To investigate whether p16 deletion can prevent osteoporosis caused by estrogen deficiency, we first confirmed that p16 protein expression levels were significantly up-regulated in bony tissue of ovariectomized (OVX) wild-type mice. Eight-week-old wild-type and p16-/- mice were then sham-operated or bilateral OVX. After 12 weeks, the bone phenotypes of all models were analyzed by radiography, micro-computed tomography, histology,...