Clinical Efficacy of Tonifying Kidney and Replenishing Essence on Asthenospermia Patients with Syndrome of Kidney Essence Deficiency and Effect of This Method on Expression Levels of AMPK/mTORC1 Signaling Pathway-associated Proteins
10.13422/j.cnki.syfjx.20242494
- VernacularTitle:补肾填精法对肾精亏虚型弱精子症患者的临床疗效及AMPK/mTORC1信号通路相关蛋白表达水平的影响
- Author:
Yuanjie FU
1
;
Fuhao LI
2
;
Chenghua PENG
2
;
Dong XU
1
;
Guoan YIN
1
;
Xiaopeng HUANG
3
;
Degui CHANG
3
;
Liang DONG
4
Author Information
1. Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine（TCM），Chengdu 610075，China
2. The TCM Hospital of Longquanyi，Chengdu 610100，China
3. Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu University of TCM，Chengdu 610072，China
4. School of Medicine and Life Science，Chengdu University of TCM，Chengdu 611137，China
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Guilu Tianjing capsules;
syndrome of kidney essence deficiency;
asthenozoospermia;
adenosine 5′-monophosphate-activated protein kinase （AMPK）/mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 （mTORC1） signaling pathway;
mitochondrial membrane potential
- From:
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae
2025;31(7):141-147
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
ObjectiveTo observe the clinical efficacy of tonifying kidney and replenishing essence on asthenozoospermia patients with the syndrome of kidney essence deficiency and the effects of this method on the adenosine 5′-monophosphate-activated protein kinase （AMPK）/mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 （mTORC1） signaling pathway. MethodsSeventy-two eligible asthenozoospermia patients with the syndrome of kidney essence deficiency treated in the Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine from February 2023 to January 2024 were selected and randomly assigned into an observation group and a control group， with 36 patients in each group. The observation group received oral administration of Guilu Tianjing capsules， while the control group received oral administration of L-carnitine oral solution. The treatment course lasted for 4 weeks in both groups. The observed indicators included sperm progressive motility rate （PR）， total sperm motility （PR+NP）， percentage of normal mitochondrial membrane potential （MMP）， and traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） symptom scores before and after treatment in both groups. A three-month follow-up was instituted to record the conception status of the patients’ spouses. Additionally， eight patients were randomly selected from the eligible patients in the observation group， and four healthy males with normal semen routine examination results were included as the control group for the determination of protein expression. Western blotting was conducted to assess the expression of AMPK， phosphorylated （p）-AMPK， regulatory-associated protein of mTOR （RAPTOR） and p-RAPTOR， and PTEN-induced putative kinase 1 （PINK1） in sperms from the observation group before and after treatment， as well as in the sperms of the control group. ResultsThe pregnancy rate of spouses in the observation group was 9.09% （3/33）， which was higher than that （3.33%， 1/30） in the control group. The total response rate was 84.8% （28/33） in the observation group and 66.7% （20/30） in the control group， with no statistically significant difference. After treatment， both groups were improved considering PR， PR+NP， MMP， and TCM symptom scores （P<0.01）. Moreover， the observation group exhibited more pronounced decreases in TCM symptom scores than the control group （P<0.05）， while the changes in PR， PR+NP， and MMP showed no statistical significance between groups. Compared with the control group， the asthenozoospermia group exhibited upregulations in phosphorylation levels of AMPK and RAPTOR and protein level of PINK （P<0.01）. The administration of Guilu Tianjing Capsules led to downregulations in the phosphorylation levels of AMPK and RAPTOR and protein level of PINK1 （P<0.01）. However， the protein levels of AMPK and RAPTOR demonstrated no significant difference between before and after treatment. During the study period， neither group of patients exhibited any notable adverse reactions. ConclusionGuilu Tianjing capsules can enhance the sperm motility and percentage of normal mitochondrial membrane potential in asthenozoospermia patients with the syndrome of kidney essence deficiency by downregulating the AMPK/mTORC1 signaling pathway， lowering the protein level of PINK1， and inhibiting excessive activation of mitophagy.
