title: [Regulatory effect of Ningxin Hongqi Capsule on local ovarian autocrine and paracrine factors in rats during peri-menopausal period].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the regulatory effect and mechanism of Ningxin Hongqi Capsule on local ovarian autocrine and paracrine factors in peri-menopausal rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  SD female rats aged 4 months were allocated in a normal control group (A) and those aged 14 months with vagino-cytologic figure of oestrus elongation were allocated in a senile female rat model group (B). Rats in Group B were subdivided into 5 groups randomly as the B1, B2 and B3 subgroups treated respectively with high, moderate and low dose Ningxin Hongqi Capsule, the B4 subgroup treated with estradiol and the B5 subgroup untreated for control. Rats' ovaries were obtained at the end of the experiment for observing the conditions of ovarian growing follicles and corpus luteum by HE staining, determining expressions of ovarian estradiol receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), inhibin alpha (INHalpha), activin (ACT) alpha-beta, follistatin (FS), and insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1).
  
  
  RESULTS
  As compared with Group B5, the ovary index, number of growing follicle were higher and levels of FSH and LH were lower in Group B2 and B3, expression of ER was higher in Group B1 and B4, IGF-1 and INHalpha was higher in Group B2 and B3, and ACTalpha-beta and FS were lower (all P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Nirigxin Hongqi Capsule could adjust and balance the local ovarian autocrine and paracrine factors to improve the ovarian function.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing.
authors.forename: Ling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: Ren-Sheng
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019898:Autocrine Communication / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D002214:Capsules; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D023421:Models, Animal; D010053:Ovary / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D019899:Paracrine Communication / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D047648:Perimenopause; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D011959:Receptors, Estradiol / Q000096:biosynthesis; D011962:Receptors, FSH / Q000096:biosynthesis; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone / Q000096:biosynthesis
chemical_list: D002214:Capsules; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D011959:Receptors, Estradiol; D011962:Receptors, FSH; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone; C534020:ningxin hongqi