Effect of superfine powder and aqueous extract of Polygonati Rhizoma on rats with natural perimenopausal syndrome / 中国中药杂志

This study aims to examine the effect of superfine powder and aqueous extract of Polygonati Rhizomaon on natural perimenopausal syndrome in rats and explore the underlying mechanism. To be specific, a total of 60 female SD rats(14-15 months old) with estrous cycle disorder were screened by the vaginal smear and randomized into model control group, β-estradiol 3-benzoate group(0.1 mg·kg~(-1)), superfine powder of Polygonati Rhizoma group(0.25, 0.5 g·kg~(-1)) and aqueous extract of Polygonati Rhizoma group(0.25, 0.5 g·kg~(-1)), and another 10 female SD rats(14-15 months old) were selected as the youth control group. The administration lasted 6 weeks. Then the perimenopausal syndrome-related indexes such as body temperature, microcirculatory blood flow of face and ear, vertigo period, salivary secretion, grip force, and bone strength were determined and open field test was conducted. The immune system-related indexes such as the wet weight and index of thymus and spleen, percentage of T lymphocytes and subgroups in peripheral blood, and hematological indexes were measured. In addition, the ovary-related indexes such as estrous cycle, the wet weight and index of uterus and ovary, ovarian tissue morphology, and cell apoptosis were determined. Moreover, hypothalamus-pituitary-ovary axis(HPO)-related indexes such as serum sex hormone levels, cytochrome P450 family 11 subfamily A member 1(CYP11A1), cytochrome P450 family 19 subfamily A member 1(CYP19A1), and cytochrome P450 family 17 subfamily A member 1(P450 17A1) in ovarian tissue were measured. The results showed that the superfine powder and aqueous extract of Polygonati Rhizoma significantly decreased body temperature(anal, facial and dorsal temperature), microcirculatory blood flow in the ear, and vertigo period, increased salivary secretion, grip force, bone strength, total distance and total speed in the open field test, wet weight and index of thymus and spleen, lymphocyte ratio, CD3~+ level, and CD4~+/CD8~+ ratio, reduced neutrophil number and ratio, estrous cycle disorder ratio, and number of ovarian apoptotic cells, raised wet weight and index of uterus, wet weight of ovary, levels of inhibin B(INHB), estradiol(E_2), anti-müllerian hormone(AMH), and ovarian CYP11A1 and CYP19A1, decreased follicle-stimulating hormone(FSH) and luteinizing hormone(LH) content, and improved ovarian tissue morphology. It is suggested that the superfine powder and aqueous extract of Polygonati Rhizoma can improve the symptoms associated with natural perimenopausal syndrome in rats and enhance ovarian function and immune function. The mechanism is that they regulate HPO axis function by increasing estrogen synthesis.

Cryobiological Characteristics of L-proline in Mammalian Oocyte Cryopreservation / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>L-proline is a natural, nontoxic cryoprotectant that helps cells and tissues to tolerate freezing in a variety of plants and animals. The use of L-proline in mammalian oocyte cryopreservation is rare. In this study, we explored the cryobiological characteristics of L-proline and evaluated its protective effect in mouse oocyte cryopreservation.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The freezing property of L-proline was detected by Raman spectroscopy and osmometer. Mature oocytes obtained from 8-week-old B6D2F1 mice were vitrified in a solution consisting various concentration of L-proline with a reduced proportion of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and ethylene glycol (EG), comparing with the control group (15% DMSO and 15% EG without L-proline). The survival rate, 5-methylcytosine (5-mC) expression, fertilization rate, two-cell rate, and blastocyst rate in vitro were assessed by immunofluorescence and in vitro fertilization. Data were analyzed by Chi-square test.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>L-proline can penetrate the oocyte membrane within 1 min. The osmotic pressure of 2.00 mol/L L-proline mixture is similar to that of the control group. The survival rate of the postthawed oocyte in 2.00 mol/L L-proline combining 7.5% DMSO and 10% EG is significantly higher than that of the control group. There is no difference of 5-mC expression between the L-proline combination groups and control. The fertilization rate, two-cell rate, and blastocyst rate in vitro from oocyte vitrified in 2.00 mol/L L-proline combining 7.5% DMSO and 10% EG solution are similar to that of control.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>It indicated that an appropriate concentration of L-proline can improve the cryopreservation efficiency of mouse oocytes with low concentrations of DMSO and EG, which may be applicable to human oocyte vitrification.</p>