Danggui Buxue Tang Rescues Folliculogenesis and Ovarian Cell Apoptosis in Rats with Premature Ovarian Insufficiency

Lingdi Wang; Jian Liu; Guangning Nie; Yang Li; Hongyan Yang

doi:10.1155/2021/6614302

Danggui Buxue Tang Rescues Folliculogenesis and Ovarian Cell Apoptosis in Rats with Premature Ovarian Insufficiency

Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2021 May 5:2021:6614302. doi: 10.1155/2021/6614302. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Lingdi Wang¹, Jian Liu^{2

3}, Guangning Nie^{2

3}, Yang Li^{2

3}, Hongyan Yang^{2

3}

Affiliations

¹ Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510006, Guangdong, China.
² Department of Gynaecology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Dade Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou 510120, Guangdong, China.
³ Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Clinical Research on Traditional Chinese Medicine Syndrome, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.

Abstract

Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) is a common female endocrine disease that is closely linked to ovarian function. Danggui Buxue Tang (DBT) is a classic prescription of traditional Chinese medicine that is helpful for rescuing ovarian function. However, the mechanism by which DBT rescues ovarian function remains unclear. This study explored the molecular mechanism of DBT with respect to apoptosis and related signals in ovarian cells. The quality control of DBT was performed by HPLC. After DBT intervention in the POI rat model, serum AMH/FSH/LH/E₂ levels were detected by ELISA, follicles at various developmental stages were observed by HE staining, apoptosis was detected by TUNEL, and the expression profiles of Bcl-2 family proteins and key proteins in the Jak2/Foxo3a signaling pathway were evaluated by western blot. The results demonstrated that DBT could encourage the development of primary/secondary/antral follicles and increase the secretion of AMH. Moreover, DBT might inhibit Foxo3a by upregulating Jak2, thereby mediating Bcl-2 family activities and inhibiting apoptosis in ovarian cells. In conclusion, DBT promotes follicular development and rescues ovarian function by regulating Bcl-2 family proteins to inhibit cell apoptosis, which could be related to the Jak2/Foxo3a signaling pathway.