Frontiers retracts 2018 hesperetin bone resorption study

Frontiers in Pharmacology has formally retracted a 2018 research article that claimed hesperetin prevents bone resorption by inhibiting RANKL-induced osteoclastogenesis and Jnk mediated Irf-3/c-Jun activation. The retraction notice, published on 11 November 2026 in Volume 17 of the journal, states that the data and conclusions of the original article have been deemed unreliable. This decision follows an investigation into the integrity of the images presented in the published figures, which raised significant concerns about the validity of the reported findings.

The original article, authored by Zhang Q, Tang X, Liu Z, Song X, Peng D, Zhu W, Ouyang Z, and Wang W, was initially published in September 2018 under the title “Hesperetin Prevents Bone Resorption by Inhibiting RANKL-Induced Osteoclastogenesis and Jnk Mediated Irf-3/c-Jun Activation.” It appeared in Volume 9 of Frontiers in Pharmacology. The retraction notice identifies this specific publication as the subject of the integrity investigation, noting that the concerns arose after the article’s initial release.

The investigation was triggered by concerns regarding the integrity of the images in the published figures. Additionally, image duplication concerns were identified in Figure 1C of the original paper.

Although the authors corrected the images in question following the initial concerns, the investigation did not end there. The Research Integrity Auditing team conducted an investigation of the underlying raw data, which identified additional image integrity concerns affecting other figures in the article.

The authors were given the opportunity to provide an explanation during the investigation, which was conducted in accordance with Frontiers’ policies. However, the authors failed to provide a satisfactory explanation for the image integrity issues. This lack of a satisfactory response led the journal to conclude that the data and conclusions of the article were unreliable.

The retraction was approved by the Chief Editor of Frontiers in Pharmacology and the Chief Executive Editor of Frontiers. The authors do not agree with this retraction.

Frontiers acknowledged Dr. Elisabeth Bik for contacting the journal regarding the published article.

The retraction notice was received and accepted on 08 October 2026, and published on 11 November 2026. The article is part of the Translational Pharmacology section of Frontiers in Pharmacology.

Subject of Research: Retraction: Hesperetin prevents bone resorption by inhibiting RANKL-induced osteoclastogenesis and Jnk mediated Irf-3/c-Jun activation

Article Title: Retraction: Hesperetin prevents bone resorption by inhibiting RANKL-induced osteoclastogenesis and Jnk mediated Irf-3/c-Jun activation

Article References: Frontiers Editorial Office (2026). Retraction: Hesperetin prevents bone resorption by inhibiting RANKL-induced osteoclastogenesis and Jnk mediated Irf-3/c-Jun activation. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 17, Article 2021906. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2026.2021906

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2026.2021906

Keywords: Retraction, Hesperetin, prevents, bone, resorption, inhibiting, RANKL-induced, osteoclastogenesis, mediated, Irf-3, c-Jun, activation