Abstract
BackgroundHerb mixtures are widely used as an alternative to hormonal therapy in China for treatment of the menopausal syndrome. However, composition of these herb mixtures are complex and their working mechanism is often unknown. This study investigated the effect of Tiáo-Gēng-Tāng (TG-decoction), a Chinese herbal mixture extract, in balancing female hormones, regulating expression of estrogen receptors (ERs), and preventing aging-related tissue damage.MethodsOvariectomized 5-month-old female rats were used to model menopause and treated with either TG-decoction or conjugated estrogen for 8 weeks. Estradiol (E2), luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) were measured in serum and in the hypothalamus. Hypothalamic expression of estrogen receptor (ER) alpha and beta were studied by real-time PCR and western blotting. Total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), oxidation indicator superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and tissue damage parameter malondialdehyde (MDA) were measured using standard assays. Aging-related ultrastructural alterations in mitochondria were studied in all animals by transmission electron microscopy.ResultsTG-decoction-treatment elevated E2 and lowered FSH in serum of ovariectomized rats. The potency and efficacy of TG-decoction on the hypothalamus was generally weaker than that of conjugated estrogens. However, TG-decoction was superior in upregulating expression of ERα and β. TG-decoction increased hypothalamic SOD and T-AOC levels and decreased MDAlevels and mitochondrial damage in hypothalamic neurons.ConclusionsTG-decoction balances female hormones similarly to conjugated estrogens but less effectively. However, it is superior in up regulating ERα and β and exhibits antioxidative antiaging activities. Whilst it shares similar effects with estrogen, TG-decoction also seems to have distinctive and more complex functions and activities.
Highlights
Herb mixtures are widely used as an alternative to hormonal therapy in China for treatment of the menopausal syndrome
Estrogen therapy is regarded as standard treatment for the menopausal syndrome, which is caused by rapid decrease and fluctuation of female hormones [1]
We further studied estrogen receptor (ER) a and b because previous works have hypothesized that decreased expression of these receptors contribute to reduced responsiveness of hypothalamus to estradiol during aging [20,21]
Summary
Herb mixtures are widely used as an alternative to hormonal therapy in China for treatment of the menopausal syndrome. TG-decoction consists of 10 herbs (Table 1) and is composed to strengthen kidney and liver function, to nourish deficient essence in organs, to disperse excessive fire from the body, and to balance yin and yang. In conventional medicine, this alternative rationale is difficult to be explained scientifically conventional medicine and TCM share a common understanding of pathological mechanisms of menopause to be an aging-related disorder with decreasing estradiol (E2) levels. Oxidative stress in the process of aging affects the brain due to its high metabolic rate and reduced capacity for restoration compared to other organs [11]
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