Kim Minseo, Kim Hyun-Sook, Oh Joohee, Zhou Xiangqin, Ahn SongHee, Koo Youngtae, Kim Hyun-Jung, Jang Jiwon
Department of Food and Nutrition, Sookmyung Women's University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Natural Products Convergence R&D Division, Kwangdong Pharm Co., Ltd., Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Front Nutr. 2023 Jun 26;10:1171346. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2023.1171346. eCollection 2023.
Kyung-Ok-Ko (KOK) is a popular traditional medicine used as a natural alternative to hormone replacement therapy for treating postmenopausal symptoms in Asia. Ohwi () is rich in isoflavones and has been traditionally used in combination with other herbs to produce synergistic and pharmaceutical effects a multi-target approach for disease treatment. We aimed to investigate the phytoestrogenic effects of KOK extract against postmenopausal symptoms in ovariectomized (OVX) rats and confirm its efficacy by mixing KOK and extracts.
OVX rats were daily oral administrated with KOK and KOK + mixture extracts (300-400 mg/kg) and their body weight and tail temperature were monitored for 12 weeks. The biochemical parameters, estradiol levels, and bone turnover markers were measured in the serum samples. Moreover, the estrogen receptor, ER-α and ER-β expression in the uterus and the uterus morphology were evaluated. AMPK, ATG1/ULK1, and mTOR protein expression in the liver were assessed.
The 12-week treatment with KOK and KOK + mixture extracts did not cause liver damage or hormonal changes in the OVX rats. The treatments reduced the high lipid accumulation-related body weight gain and the tail temperature increase that was induced by ovariectomy. Further, it exhibited protective effects against hyperlipidemia and osteoporosis. No significant difference was observed in uterine weight compared to the OVX-treated group, while endometrial thickness reduction inhibition was observed due to ovariectomy. Bone mineral density (BMD) and serum osteocalcin levels, which decreased in OVX rats, increased with both treatments. Western blotting analysis showed that ER-α and ER-β were not expressed in the treated rats, whereas these proteins were expressed in Sham-operated rats. No significant differences in the phosphorylation of AMPK were observed; however, the ATG1/ULK1 and mTOR protein phosphorylation levels were upregulated and downregulated in the treated rats compared to those of OVX rats, respectively.
This is the first study observing the efficacy and synergistic effects of the mixture of KOK and . Our results suggest the potential of KOK and KOK + mixture as an alternative therapy for alleviating menopausal symptoms.
景岳固经丸（KOK）是一种广受欢迎的传统药物，在亚洲被用作激素替代疗法的天然替代品，用于治疗绝经后症状。 欧蕙（Ohwi）富含异黄酮，传统上与其他草药联合使用以产生协同和药物作用，这是一种多靶点疾病治疗方法。我们旨在研究KOK提取物对去卵巢（OVX）大鼠绝经后症状的植物雌激素作用，并通过将KOK与欧蕙提取物混合来确认其疗效。
对OVX大鼠每日口服给予KOK和KOK +欧蕙混合物提取物（300 - 400mg/kg），并监测其体重和尾温12周。测量血清样本中的生化参数、雌二醇水平和骨转换标志物。此外，评估子宫中雌激素受体ER-α和ER-β的表达以及子宫形态。评估肝脏中AMPK、ATG1/ULK1和mTOR蛋白的表达。
用KOK和KOK +欧蕙混合物提取物进行的12周治疗未在OVX大鼠中引起肝损伤或激素变化。这些治疗减少了去卵巢诱导的与高脂积累相关的体重增加和尾温升高。此外，它对高脂血症和骨质疏松症具有保护作用。与OVX治疗组相比，子宫重量没有显著差异，而观察到由于去卵巢导致的子宫内膜厚度减少受到抑制。在OVX大鼠中降低的骨矿物质密度（BMD）和血清骨钙素水平在两种治疗后均升高。蛋白质印迹分析表明，在治疗的大鼠中未表达ER-α和ER-β，而这些蛋白在假手术大鼠中表达。未观察到AMPK磷酸化的显著差异；然而，与OVX大鼠相比，治疗大鼠中ATG1/ULK1和mTOR蛋白的磷酸化水平分别上调和下调。
这是第一项观察KOK与欧蕙混合物疗效和协同作用的研究。我们的结果表明KOK和KOK +欧蕙混合物作为缓解更年期症状替代疗法的潜力。
