In recent years, more and more studies have shown that autophagy is closely related to female reproductive process. Autophagy is a widespread and highly conserved degradation system in eukaryotes that can be activated under conditions such as hypoxia, starvation, lack of nutrients, or extreme pH. In terms of reproductive health, autophagy can improve reproductive dysfunction by removing damaged organelles and regulating cell growth and metabolism. Appropriate regulation of autophagy helps to improve oocyte quality, delay ovarian aging, fine-regulate endometrial growth, and ensure successful implantation of embryos. However, the abnormality of autophagy pathway may cause problems such as activation of pelvic inflammatory cytokines, reduced endometrial receptivity, abnormal follicle development, and weakened invasion ability of trophoblast cells, thus leading to the occurrence and development of reproductive disorders such as endometriosis, chronic endometritis, polycystic ovary syndrome, early-onset ovarian insufficiency, and recurrent spontaneous abortion. This article reviews the mechanism and therapeutic targets of autophagy in female reproductive diseases, providing clinical ideas and diagnosis and treatment strategies for improving female reproductive health.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a common reproductive, endocrine and metabolic disease among women of childbearing age, is mainly characterized by ovulation dysfunction, polycystic ovary changes and hyperandrogenism. To some extent, it impacts patients' physical and mental health. In recent years, numerous researches have indicated that the occurrence and development of PCOS are closely associated with chronic low-level inflammation in the body. Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), as an inflammatory factor, induces PCOS through different means. Accordingly, TNF-α inhibitors are also used to treat PCOS, and some patients benefit from them. However, they are off-label drugs and there are few studies. Whether TNF-α inhibitors can improve PCOS and ensure the safety of mother and child remains unclear. Therefore, this paper will review the role of TNF-α in the PCOS pathogenesis and the efficacy and safety of its inhibitors in PCOS patients, so as to offer new clues for studying the PCOS pathogenesis and new ideas for its clinical treatment.

Objective:To comprehensively evaluate treatment outcomes and assisted reproductive approaches in infertility patients with CYP17A1-deficient congenital adrenal hyperplasia [including 17α-hydroxylase/17,20-lyase deficiency (17-OHD) and isolated 17,20-lyase deficiency (IDL)]. Methods:In this study, PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Ovid, CNKI, Wanfang Data base, and the Chinese Biomedical Literature Database were systematically searched. The data extracted included basic patient information, treatment plans, and pregnancy outcomes, which were then analyzed descriptively.Results:Totally 19 articles were included, covering 23 cases of successful live births. Among the 23 patients with successful live births, there were 19 patients with 17-OHD, including 17 cases became pregnant through in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET), 1 case through natural pregnancy, and 1 case through oocyte donation pregnancy; there were 4 cases with IDL, including 2 cases through natural pregnancy and 2 cases through IVF-ET pregnancy. Conclusion:IVF-ET is the preferred fertility treatment option for patients with partial form of 17-OHD. For IDL patients who have natural ovulation, natural pregnancy can be attempted. Glucocorticoids play a crucial role in improving pregnancy outcomes, but their use needs to be individualized.

Background: Psoralea corylifolia L. (Buguzhi, BGZ), known for its efficacy in supporting pregnancy and preventing miscarriage, has been used in China for over 1000 years. Recently, BGZ has been identified as a potential cause of drug-induced liver injury. However, its safety during pregnancy remains unclear, which significantly hinders its routine clinical application. Objective: To investigate the effects of BGZ administration during pregnancy on the liver of mouse mothers and their weaned 21-day-old offspring. Methods: Mice were orally administered BGZ at doses of 2.5 and 10 g/kg during pregnancy, with BGZ withdrawal during the lactation period. Liver histopathology (hematoxylin-eosin staining), biochemical analysis, and evaluation of liver bile acid metabolism were performed after the lactation period. Results: BGZ administration at doses of 2.5 and 10 g/kg during pregnancy, followed by withdrawal during the lactation period, caused mild liver damage in both mothers and their 21-day-old offspring. Serum total bile acid (TBA) levels were elevated compared with those in the control group. Additionally, changes were observed in the levels and proportions of various bile acids (BAs) in the liver, suggesting mild effects on BA metabolism. Conclusion: BGZ administration during pregnancy caused mild liver damage and increased serum TBA levels in both mouse mothers and their 21-day-old offspring. This phenomenon may be associated with imbalanced BA metabolism in the liver. Based on the present study and the limited toxicological research on BGZ, pregnant women should avoid prolonged use of BGZ. If BGZ is administered during pregnancy, serum TBA levels should be monitored, and if elevated, BGZ should be discontinued.

Background: Aristolochic acid II (AAII), a major nephrotoxic and carcinogenic component of aristolochic acids (AAs), has been less studied compared with its well-characterized analog, aristolochic acid I (AAI). Although AAs are known to induce carcinogenesis via DNA adduct formation, the toxicity mechanisms, environmental prevalence, and long-term health impacts of AAII remain poorly understood. Objective: This study aimed to systematically evaluate AAII’s acute and chronic toxicity, carcinogenic mechanisms, and environmental exposure patterns using integrated murine models and phytochemical analyses to clarify its toxicological profile and associated health risks. Methods: C57BL/6J mice were used in the following experiments: (1) determination of AAII content in 3 commonly used Aristolochia medicinal materials via liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry; (2) acute toxicity testing with single doses of 10, 20, or 40 mg/kg; and (3) chronic exposure with 1 or 10 mg/kg administered every other day for 24 weeks, followed by 21 to 40 weeks of postexposure monitoring. Histopathological examination, whole-exome sequencing, biochemical assays, and micronucleus tests were performed to assess multi-organ damage, tumorigenesis, genomic mutation signatures, and direct clastogenicity. Phytochemical analyses were used to evaluate environmental distribution. Results: (1) A single 40 mg/kg dose of AAII induced dose-dependent renal tubular degeneration without hepatotoxicity; (2) the 10 mg/kg group showed significant mortality (20%), tumor incidence (33.3%, primarily forestomach and bladder transitional cell carcinomas), persistent renal interstitial fibrosis, and subclinical hepatic injury. Chronic exposure to 1 mg/kg still induced 13.3% mortality and 15.5% tumor incidence over a 64-week period; (3) whole-exome sequencing revealed a predominance of C>T mutations and pathway enrichment in chemical carcinogenesis and cytochrome P450-mediated metabolism, indicating reactive metabolite-driven mechanisms distinct from classical AA-DNA adducts; and (4) no histopathological changes were observed in nontarget organs (brain, heart, and testes), and micronucleus assays confirmed the absence of direct clastogenicity. Conclusion: This study highlights the delayed carcinogenic risks of low-dose chronic AAII exposure and emphasizes the need to update regulatory frameworks to ensure the safe use of aristolochiaceae-containing herbal products.

In recent years, more and more studies have shown that autophagy is closely related to female reproductive process. Autophagy is a widespread and highly conserved degradation system in eukaryotes that can be activated under conditions such as hypoxia, starvation, lack of nutrients, or extreme pH. In terms of reproductive health, autophagy can improve reproductive dysfunction by removing damaged organelles and regulating cell growth and metabolism. Appropriate regulation of autophagy helps to improve oocyte quality, delay ovarian aging, fine-regulate endometrial growth, and ensure successful implantation of embryos. However, the abnormality of autophagy pathway may cause problems such as activation of pelvic inflammatory cytokines, reduced endometrial receptivity, abnormal follicle development, and weakened invasion ability of trophoblast cells, thus leading to the occurrence and development of reproductive disorders such as endometriosis, chronic endometritis, polycystic ovary syndrome, early-onset ovarian insufficiency, and recurrent spontaneous abortion. This article reviews the mechanism and therapeutic targets of autophagy in female reproductive diseases, providing clinical ideas and diagnosis and treatment strategies for improving female reproductive health.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a common reproductive, endocrine and metabolic disease among women of childbearing age, is mainly characterized by ovulation dysfunction, polycystic ovary changes and hyperandrogenism. To some extent, it impacts patients' physical and mental health. In recent years, numerous researches have indicated that the occurrence and development of PCOS are closely associated with chronic low-level inflammation in the body. Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), as an inflammatory factor, induces PCOS through different means. Accordingly, TNF-α inhibitors are also used to treat PCOS, and some patients benefit from them. However, they are off-label drugs and there are few studies. Whether TNF-α inhibitors can improve PCOS and ensure the safety of mother and child remains unclear. Therefore, this paper will review the role of TNF-α in the PCOS pathogenesis and the efficacy and safety of its inhibitors in PCOS patients, so as to offer new clues for studying the PCOS pathogenesis and new ideas for its clinical treatment.

Objective:To comprehensively evaluate treatment outcomes and assisted reproductive approaches in infertility patients with CYP17A1-deficient congenital adrenal hyperplasia [including 17α-hydroxylase/17,20-lyase deficiency (17-OHD) and isolated 17,20-lyase deficiency (IDL)]. Methods:In this study, PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Ovid, CNKI, Wanfang Data base, and the Chinese Biomedical Literature Database were systematically searched. The data extracted included basic patient information, treatment plans, and pregnancy outcomes, which were then analyzed descriptively.Results:Totally 19 articles were included, covering 23 cases of successful live births. Among the 23 patients with successful live births, there were 19 patients with 17-OHD, including 17 cases became pregnant through in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET), 1 case through natural pregnancy, and 1 case through oocyte donation pregnancy; there were 4 cases with IDL, including 2 cases through natural pregnancy and 2 cases through IVF-ET pregnancy. Conclusion:IVF-ET is the preferred fertility treatment option for patients with partial form of 17-OHD. For IDL patients who have natural ovulation, natural pregnancy can be attempted. Glucocorticoids play a crucial role in improving pregnancy outcomes, but their use needs to be individualized.

Objective:To investigate the clinical efficacy of Cyclosporine A(CsA)in patients with unexplained repeated implantation failure(URIF),and to analyze the changes of peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets after CsA treatment.Methods:105 patients with URIF who underwent frozen-thawed embryo transfer(FET)in the De-partment of Reproductive Medicine in The Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University from Septem-ber 30,2021 to March 1,2022 were selected.After informed consent,the patients were divided into CsA group(n=52)and control group(n=53)according to whether they received CsA treatment or not.Pregnancy outcomes and changes in lymphocyte subset were compared between the two groups.Results:The embryo implantation rate and clinical pregnancy rate in CsA group were higher than those in the control group,the difference was statisti-cally significant(48.91%vs.32.56%,P=0.027;53.85%vs.32.08%,P=0.024).The CsA group had a lower ear-ly abortion rate than the control group(10.71%vs.23.53%),but the difference was not statistically significant(P=0.25).The percentage of CD3-CD16+CD56+in CsA group was significantly decreased after treatment[(16.15±5.37)%vs.(18.23±7.10)%,P=0.012],it was also lower than that in the control group[(16.15±5.37)%vs.(18.67±5.16)%,P=0.018].Conclusions:CsA treatment can significantly improve the clinical preg-nancy rate and embryo implantation rate of frozen-thawed embryo transfer in patients with URIF,which may be a-chieved by promoting the distribution of peripheral blood lymphocytes to the direction of embryo implantation,es-pecially by down-regulating the percentage of CD3-CD16+CD56+.CsA has a certain application prospect in the field of assisted reproduction.

Objective:To investigate the clinical efficacy of Cyclosporine A(CsA)in patients with unexplained repeated implantation failure(URIF),and to analyze the changes of peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets after CsA treatment.Methods:105 patients with URIF who underwent frozen-thawed embryo transfer(FET)in the De-partment of Reproductive Medicine in The Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University from Septem-ber 30,2021 to March 1,2022 were selected.After informed consent,the patients were divided into CsA group(n=52)and control group(n=53)according to whether they received CsA treatment or not.Pregnancy outcomes and changes in lymphocyte subset were compared between the two groups.Results:The embryo implantation rate and clinical pregnancy rate in CsA group were higher than those in the control group,the difference was statisti-cally significant(48.91%vs.32.56%,P=0.027;53.85%vs.32.08%,P=0.024).The CsA group had a lower ear-ly abortion rate than the control group(10.71%vs.23.53%),but the difference was not statistically significant(P=0.25).The percentage of CD3-CD16+CD56+in CsA group was significantly decreased after treatment[(16.15±5.37)%vs.(18.23±7.10)%,P=0.012],it was also lower than that in the control group[(16.15±5.37)%vs.(18.67±5.16)%,P=0.018].Conclusions:CsA treatment can significantly improve the clinical preg-nancy rate and embryo implantation rate of frozen-thawed embryo transfer in patients with URIF,which may be a-chieved by promoting the distribution of peripheral blood lymphocytes to the direction of embryo implantation,es-pecially by down-regulating the percentage of CD3-CD16+CD56+.CsA has a certain application prospect in the field of assisted reproduction.