Perimenopause Amelioration of a TCM Recipe Composed of Radix Astragali, Radix Angelicae Sinensis, and Folium Epimedii: AnIn VivoStudy on Natural Aging Rat Model

Abstract

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been extensively applied as preferable herbal remedy for menopausal symptoms. In the present work, the potential of a TCM recipe named RRF, composed of Radix Astragali, Radix Angelicae Sinensis, and Folium Epimedii, was investigated on a natural aging rat model. After administration of RRF (141, 282, and 564 mg/kg/d), the circulated estradiol (E2) level increased accompanied by a reduction of serum follicle stimulating hormone (FSH). But no significant impact on serum lutenizing hormone (LH) level was observed. As a result of the E2-FSH-LH adjustment, the histomorphology degenerations of ovary, uterus, and vagina of the 11.5-month female rats were alleviated. And lumbar vertebrae trabecular microstructure was also restored under RRF exposure by means of increasing the trabecular area and area rate. Moreover, levels of hypothalamic dopamine (DA) and norepinephrine (NE) rallied significantly after RRF treatment. Results from our studies suggest that RRF possesses a positive regulation on the estrogen imbalance and neurotransmitter disorder, thereby restoring reproductive organ degeneration and skeleton deterioration. The above-mentioned benefits of RRF on the menopause syndromes recommend RRF as a potential candidate for the treatment of perimenopausal syndrome.

Evaluation of safety of modified-Danggui Buxue Tang in rodents:immunological, toxicity and hormonal aspects

“…It might be inferred that RRF exhibit estrogenic properties, and appeared to retard certain age-associated degenerations, shifting the endocrine dynamic towards a more physiologically favorable balance. The finding was in concert with our previous investigation on the ovariectomy middle-aged female rats as well as natural aging female rat model (Xie et al, 2013;Su et al, 2013). Hence, RRF may be endowed with potential beneficial effects in relieving perimenopausal symptoms, ameliorating deleterious degeneration in aspects of perimenopausal-associated pituitary-ovarian hormones.…”

“…The above dry extracts were blended thoroughly with an appropriate amount of microcrystalline cellulose and crosslinking polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) to produce RRF samples for each experiment. HPLC assays as described previously had been employed for assurance of quality control of the typical chemicals of the three herbs, astragaloside IV for RA, ferlic acid for RAS, and icariin for FE (Xie et al, 2013). RRF was stored at 4 °C and diluted to the desired concentrations in distilled 8 water at the time of administration.…”

“…Herbal recipes from TCM are prepared with a specific combination of different herbs as formulae by a unique methodology, which, if properly prepared, would synergistically deliver multiple bioactive effects and compromise potential toxicity. In our previous investigation, we found that a derivative herbal formula (named RRF) from DBT, which was made up of RA, RAS, and Folium Epimedii (leaves of Epimedium brevicomum Maxim., FE) with a weight ratio of 5:1:5, exerted a potential benefit in relieving perimenopause symptom both in ovariectomy (OVX) rats as well as natural aging female rat model (Su et al, 2013;Xie et al, 2013). RRF had a potential efficacy on relieving sexual hormonal imbalance and promoting bone formation.…”

Moxibustion Reduces Ovarian Granulosa Cell Apoptosis Associated with Perimenopause in a Natural Aging Rat Model

“…Here, we determined the effect of MWM on the serum levels of E 2 , FSH, and LH in a natural aging rat model and showed that MWM increased the circulating levels of E 2 and decreased those of FSH without affecting the levels of LH, similar to the effects of CEE. Similar effects on E 2 /FSH/LH levels were obtained in previous studies using a preparation of herbal medicines designated as RRF, which restored hormonal balance, alleviated reproductive organ and skeleton degeneration, and restored bone mineral density in a rat model [ 18 , 19 ]. On the other hand, Danggui Buxue Tang (DBT), a traditional Chinese preparation used widely to alleviate perimenopausal symptoms, exhibits weak estrogenic properties and its activity was shown to be largely independent of the estrogen receptor in in vivo experiments [ 20 ].…”

Identification of Steroidogenic Components Derived From Gardenia jasminoides Ellis Potentially Useful for Treating Postmenopausal Syndrome

“…Due to a global population aging, there will be one billion women over the age of 60 years by the year 2050 (Hoga et al, 2015 ). Currently, more than 50% of women in the world are afflicted with postmenopausal syndrome at the climacteric stage (Su et al, 2013 ; Dalal and Agarwal, 2015 ). It is widely accepted that estrogen deprivation plays an important role in the postmenopausal syndrome (World Health Organization, 1996 ; Greendale et al, 1998 ; Constantine and Pickar, 2003 ).…”