Dr. Neher's Biophysics Laboratory for Innovative Drug Discovery, State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology, Avenida Wai Long, Taipa, Macau, China.
State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology, Avenida Wai Long, Taipa, Macau, China.
Food Funct. 2024 Sep 30;15(19):9779-9795. doi: 10.1039/d4fo02720e.
Reproductive aging in female mammals is characterized by ovarian senescence, leading to a significant fertility decline. berry, or goji berry, is a food and medicine that appears in various formulas for treating infertility in traditional Chinese medicine. We investigated the function of an aqueous extract of berry (LB extract) to improve health status, fertility, and offspring development during female aging. Aged female mice were supplemented with LB extract, and its effects on fertility, locomotor activity, and offspring development were assessed. The results demonstrated that LB extract significantly increased pregnancy and live birth rates in naturally aged female mice. It also effectively improved aged animals' locomotor activity. Moreover, LB extract promoted the growth and development of offspring delivered from the aged animals and reduced the offspring's anxiety. During aging, fertility-related hormones gradually decline. However, the decline of anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) and estradiol (E) in the serum of aged mice was restored by LB extract supplementation. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that the levels of oxidation and the inflammatory IL-6 in intra-ovarian cells were reduced by LB extract, while the antioxidant-associated proteins peroxiredoxin 4 (PRDX4) and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) were increased. Bioinformatics analysis revealed a decline in egg PRDX4 expression with age across various species. This suggests that the antioxidant function protected by LB extract through PRDX4 may consistently promote fertility enhancement by improving ovarian function across different species. Importantly, LB extract did not induce significant adverse effects on aged female mice and their offspring. These findings highlight the potential of LB as a protective agent against ovarian oxidative stress, which preserves ovarian function and improves fertility rates in naturally senescent females.
哺乳动物的生殖衰老以卵巢衰老为特征，导致生育能力显著下降。枸杞，又称枸杞，是一种食品和药物，出现在中医治疗不孕症的各种方剂中。我们研究了枸杞水提物（LB 提取物）的功能，以改善雌性衰老过程中的健康状况、生育能力和后代发育。给老年雌性小鼠补充 LB 提取物，并评估其对生育能力、运动活性和后代发育的影响。结果表明，LB 提取物显著提高了自然衰老雌性小鼠的妊娠率和活产率。它还有效地改善了老年动物的运动活性。此外，LB 提取物促进了来自老年动物的后代的生长和发育，并降低了后代的焦虑。随着衰老，与生育能力相关的激素逐渐下降。然而，LB 提取物补充剂恢复了衰老小鼠血清中抗苗勒管激素（AMH）和雌二醇（E）的下降。免疫组织化学分析显示，LB 提取物降低了卵巢内细胞的氧化和促炎细胞因子白细胞介素 6（IL-6）水平，同时增加了抗氧化相关蛋白过氧化物酶 4（PRDX4）和核因子红细胞 2 相关因子 2（NRF2）。生物信息学分析显示，随着年龄的增长，各种物种的卵 PRDX4 表达水平下降。这表明，LB 提取物通过 PRDX4 发挥的抗氧化功能可能通过改善卵巢功能，在不同物种中持续促进生育能力的提高。重要的是，LB 提取物对老年雌性小鼠及其后代没有引起明显的不良反应。这些发现强调了 LB 作为一种保护剂对抗卵巢氧化应激的潜力，它可以保护卵巢功能并提高自然衰老雌性的生育能力。
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