ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To study the role of estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) in the formation of cholesterol calculus and investigate the effects of Shengqing Capsule (SQC), a Chinese patent herbal medicine with the function of soothing liver and draining gallbladder, on ER and PR expressions. METHODS: A total of 80 female guinea pigs were divided into normal control group, untreated group, ursodeoxycholic acid group (UDCA group) and SQC group. The cholesterol gallstone was induced by feeding the guinea pigs with high-fat lithogenic diet. SQC and UDCA were separately administered to the guinea pigs in the SQC group and UDCA group. After 7-week administration, all the animals were sacrificed to calculate the incidence of calculus formation and detect the expressions the ER and PR in the epithelial tissue of gallbladder by immunohistochemical method. RESULTS: Gallstone was cholesterol calculus detected by infrared spectrum. The incidence of calculus formation in the SQC group (27.78%) was significantly lower than that in the untreated group (81.25%) (X(2)=9.721 5, P=0.001 8). On the basis of Reiner standard, the expression distribution of ER and PR increased gradually from the normal control group through the SQC group and UDCA group to the untreated group. Except for the former two groups and the latter two groups, the differences between the other groups and UDCA group were statistically significant (P<0.05). Besides, the differences of positive expression rates between groups were statistically significant (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Increased expressions of ER and PR are closely related to the formation of cholesterol stone. And Shengqing Capsule can down-regulate the expressions of ER and PR.
