Chinese Herbal Medicine Estrogen Study

Estrogen plays an important role in maintaining the reproductive function and the secondary sex characters of the female animals. The natural decline of hormone levels that occurs throughout menopause is responsible for numerous physical symptoms, such as hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia, mood swings, vaginal dryness. For long term effects, menopause increases the risk of developing osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease.Science has developed hormone therapies in an attempt to alleviatie the suffering of many women. HRT may help reduce the mood swings and anxiety, it also believed to be helpful in reducing the risks of heart disease and osteoporosis. But there are also risks involved with this type of treatment. Women who take HRT experience side effects such as hypertension, breast tenderness and they are more likely to develop breast or uterine cancer.Phytoestrigens are naturally occurring plant chemicals that can produce an estrogen-like effect in the body, used as a natural alternative to HRT and to reduce menopausal symptoms. Traditional Chinese Herbs is a safety and reliable source of Herbs, to screen phytoestrogen from Chinese herbs is a practicable and feasible way.We use three different ways to screen phytoestrogens in this study.First, we selected the ovariectomized (OVX) rat model which imitates the pathological change of postmenopausal women. Nilestrioli was used as positive control. The extraction of Liquorce, Cohosh, Wolfberry fruit, Connelfennel fruit, was given to the OVX rats and its estrogen-like effects were observed. Compared with the sham-OVX group, the body weight of the OVX rats was found gaining significantly; their abdominal fat storing; TC and TG concentration in liver increasing and uterine atrophying. As a result, the Liquorce and Wolfberry fruit were found to have an inhibitive action on those changes of various degrees. While the Connelfennel fruit and Cohosh have weak or no effects.Second, we use the uterus growth test to screen phytoestrogen from Caulis Fibraurea and some invigorators (Herba Epimedii, Semen Cuscutae, Fructus Ligustri Lucidi, Fructus Psoraleae, Wolfberry fruit and Herba Cistanchis) and validate some component which have estrogen like effect in our formerly study (Daidzein, Genistein and Pueriariae Radix). We choose the KM mice which were just ablactated; the extractions of the herbs were given to the mice connectively for four days, then we kill the mice and the uterine was weighted. See from the results of the experiment, the Daidzein, Herba Epimedii, Pueriariae Radix, Wolfberry fruit has estrogen like effects, the Semen Cuscutae and Genistein also have some estrogen like effects, while, the Caulis Fibraurea, Fructus Ligustri Lucidi, Fructus Psoraleae and Herba Cistanchis show noestrogen effects in this experiment.Third, we use Luciferase reporter gene to screen phytoestrogen from Herba Epimedii and Wolfberry fruit. In the study, the p P gal-Control vector, the pTAL-ERE-luc . vector the pCNX2-hERa/pCNX2-hERp. vector were transfected into HEK293 cell line. If the components in the herbs combined with the ER, then it could induce the expression of reporter gene controlled by ERE. We use ? as positive control. Date suggested that Herba Epimedii and Wolfberry fruit induced expression of luc reporter gene. These results demonstrated that these herbs has some estrogen like effects and their estrogenicity mediated by ERct or ERp.There are many ways to detect estrogen like activities, each of them has their good qualities and deficiency, so when to screen phytoestrogen from herbs, we must choose different ways and compare the result to avoid mistakes.