1.Study on the Distribution and Clinical Characteristics of TCM Syndromes in Infertility Patients with Autoimmune Thyroiditis
Xiaoru FANG ; Limin WU ; Qunying FANG ; Mengli WANG ; Shiyu ZHAO ; Zonghui QIAO ; Hongbing LUAN ; Zhaohui FANG
Chinese Journal of Information on Traditional Chinese Medicine 2024;31(1):164-170
Objective To investigate the distribution and clinical characteristics of TCM syndromes in infertility patients with autoimmune thyroiditis(AIT).Methods By referring to the relevant literature on the distribution of TCM syndromes of AIT and infertility in women of childbearing age,the TCM Syndromes Survey of Infertility Patients with Autoimmune Thyroiditis was formulated.256 cases of infertility patients with AIT who underwent in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer(IVF-ET)at the Reproductive Center of The First Affiliated Hospital of University of Science and Technology of China from June 2019 to December 2020 were retrospectively analyzed.The data of basic information,TCM syndromes,basic thyroid-stimulating hormone(TSH),thyroid peroxidase antibody(TPO-Ab)and thyroglobulin antibody(TG-Ab)were collected.By means of frequency analysis and systematic cluster analysis,the distribution regularity of TCM syndromes in infertility patients with AIT were concluded.Results After analysis,the following 5 common syndrome elements were obtained,namely,qi deficiency,liver depression,spleen deficiency,kidney deficiency and blood stasis.In addition,it was concluded that this disease was more common in complex syndromes.Through systematic clustering analysis,main TCM syndromes of this disease were obtained,which were qi deficiency and liver depression syndrome(69 cases,26.9%),spleen and kidney deficiency syndrome(45 cases,17.6%),spleen qi deficiency syndrome(38 cases,14.8%),qi deficiency and blood stasis syndrome(36 cases,14.1%),kidney deficiency and liver depression syndrome(32 cases,12.5%)and other syndrome types(36 cases,14.1%).The basic TSH level was higher in patients with qi deficiency and liver depression syndrome,spleen qi deficiency syndrome,qi deficiency and blood stasis syndrome than other syndrome types,with statistical significance(P<0.05).There was no significant difference in TPO-Ab and TG-Ab titers among different syndromes(P>0.05).Conclusion TCM syndromes of infertility patients with AIT can be clustered into qi deficiency and liver depression syndrome,spleen and kidney deficiency syndrome,spleen qi deficiency syndrome,qi deficiency and blood stasis syndrome,kidney deficiency and liver depression syndrome and other syndrome.The main element of syndrome is qi deficiency,and the pathological sites involved spleen,kidney and liver.Stasis blood is a main pathological product.It is required to pay close attention to the thyroid function in AIT patients with qi deficiency.
2.Shoutaiwan Regulate Lipopolysaccharide-induced Oxidative Stress and Pyroptosis in Human Extravillous Trophoblast Cells
Zonghui QIAO ; Sinan SHEN ; Dun DENG ; Shuqing ZHANG ; Lei LEI
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2022;28(17):17-24
ObjectiveTo investigate the regulatory effect of Shoutaiwan on oxidative stress and pyroptosis in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced human extravillous trophoblast (HTR-8/SVneo) cells and provide a new direction for deciphering the mechanism of action of Shoutaiwan. MethodLPS (100 μg∙L-1) was used to induce the injury of HTR-8/SVneo cells (modeling). Five groups were designed in this study, including a blank group, a model group, a Shoutaiwan (10% Shoutaiwan-containing serum) group, an antioxidant (1 mmol·L-1 NAC) group, and NOD like receptor thermoprotein domain 3 (NLRP3) inhibitor (50 μmol·L-1 MCC950) group. Cell viability was detected by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) kit. Hochest 33342/PI double fluorescence staining and flow cytometry were employed to observe cell death. The levels of interleukin-18 (IL-18), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), malondialdehyde (MDA), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in cell supernatant was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). DCFH-DA probe was used to measure the level of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS). Western blot was employed to determine the protein levels of NLRP3, Caspase-1, gastermin D (GSDMD), and IL-1β in cells, and Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction(Real-time PCR) to measure the mRNA levels of NLRP3 and Caspase-1 in cells. ResultCompared with the blank group, the modeling decreased the cell viability (P<0.01), elevated the levels of IL-1β, IL-18, ROS, and MDA, and weakened the activity of SOD (P<0.01). Furthermore, it up-regulated the protein levels of NLRP3, Caspase-1, GSDMD, and IL-1β and the mRNA levels of NLRP3 and Caspase-1 (P<0.01). Compared with the model group, Shoutaiwan, NAC, and MCC950 increased the cell viability (P<0.01). Further, Shoutaiwan and NAC lowered the levels of MDA and ROS and increased the activity of SOD (P<0.01). Shoutaiwan and MCC950 reduced the IL-1β and IL-18 in cell supernatant (P<0.01), and down-regulated the protein levels of NLRP3, Caspase-1, GSDMD, and IL-1β and the mRNA levels of NLRP3, Caspase-1, and IL-1β (P<0.05,P<0.01). ConclusionShoutaiwan can regulate oxidative stress and pyroptosis to attenuate the LPS-induced damage of HTR-8/SVneo cells, which may be the mechanism of Shoutaiwan in preventing recurrent spontaneous abortion.