[Effect of Yunkang Oral Solution on pregnant mice with spleen deficiency syndrome].

This study aimed to investigate the therapeutic effect of Yunkang Oral Solution on the improvement of spleen deficiency and pregnancy outcomes in pregnant mice with spleen deficiency syndrome induced by irregular diet and over consumption of cold and bitter foods. To simulate human irregular diet and over consumption of cold and bitter foods leading to spleen deficiency, the pregnant mice with spleen deficiency syndrome were prepared using an alternate-day fasting and high-fat diet combined with oral administration of Sennae Folium. During the experiment, spleen deficiency-related indicators and diarrhea-related parameters were measured. Gastric and intestinal motility(gastric emptying rate and intestinal propulsion rate) were evaluated. The levels of serum ghrelin, growth hormone(GH), gastrin(Gas), total cholesterol(TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-c), chorionic gonadotropin ß(ß-CG), progesterone(P), and estradiol(E_2) were measured. Intestinal barrier function in pregnant mice with spleen deficiency syndrome was assessed. Conception rate, ovarian coefficient, litter-bearing uterine coefficient, number of live fetuses, average fetal weight, and fetal length were calculated. The results showed that Yunkang Oral Solution significantly improved spleen deficiency-related indicators and diarrhea in pregnant mice with spleen deficiency syndrome, increased gastric emptying rate and intestinal propulsion rate, elevated the levels of gastrointestinal hormones(ghrelin, GH, and Gas) in the serum, and reduced lipid levels(TC and LDL-c), thereby improving lipid metabolism disorders. It also improved colonic tissue morphology, increased the number of goblet cells, and promoted the mRNA and protein expression of occludin and claudin-1 in colonic tissues, thereby alleviating intestinal barrier damage. Yunkang Oral Solution also regulated the levels of pregnancy hormones(ß-CG, P, and E_2) in the serum of pregnant mice with spleen deficiency syndrome. Moreover, it increased the conception rate, ovarian coefficient, litter-bearing uterine coefficient, number of live fetuses, average fetal weight, and fetal length. These findings suggest that Yunkang Oral Solution can improve spleen deficiency-related symptoms in pregnant mice before and during pregnancy, regulate pregnancy-related hormones, and improve pregnancy outcomes.

Effects of Dendrobium officinale ultrafine powder on sub-health mice induced by unhealthy lifestyle based on neuroendocrine immune system.

Sub-health status, in which a person's mind and body exist in a low-quality state of being between disease and health, has become an urgent public health problem that cannot be ignored globally. One of the most apparent sub-health symptoms is fatigue, and it also shows a significant decrease in mental vitality and adaptability caused by disruption of the neuroendocrine-immune system. Dendrobium officinale (DOF) has a long history of use in China as a medicinal food with immune-regulating, anti-fatigue, anti-oxidant, and hypoglycemic effects. The ameliorative effects of Dendrobium officinale on sub-health mice are investigated in this present study, as well as its underlying mechanisms via neuroendocrine-immune (NEI) modulation. Forty male KM mice were divided into normal control group (NC), model control group (MC), and two doses of ultrafine DOF powder (DOFP) intervention groups: DOFP-L (0.1 g kg-1), DOFP-H (0.2 g kg-1) groups. Sub-health mice were induced by mimicking unhealthy human lifestyles, including cold water swimming, limbs restriction, an unhealthy diet, and sleep deprivation for seven weeks. The findings revealed that DOFP intervened sub-health mice have less bodyweight loss, normal fecal morphology, as well as lower face temperature and blood flow, which is similar to the normal mice. Moreover, sub-health mice treated with DOFP showed improved forelimb grip strength and exercise endurance in weight-loaded exhaustion swimming and cold water exhaustion swimming, combined with reduced content of lactic acid (LD), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), blood urea nitrogen (BUN) in the plasma, increased storage of liver glycogen (LG), and muscle glycogen (MG), as well as increased superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in the liver. Additionally, DOFP could increase the counts of autonomous movements of sub-health mice, minimize tail suspension time, and perform well in the elevated plus maze and open field tests, all of which are associated with anti-depression and anti-anxiety. Moreover, mechanistic investigations revealed that DOFP could alleviate plasma corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), and cortisol (CORT) related hormones in the HPA axis, increase the level of hypothalamic norepinephrine (NE) and plasma ß-endorphin (ß-EP) of sub-health mice, while downregulating the content of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), dopamine (DA), and the relative mRNA expression of 5-HT1A and CRH in hypothalamus, and increase immunoglobulin G (IgG), immunoglobulin A (IgA), immunoglobulin M (IgM), and CD4+/CD8+ T cell ratio levels. In conclusion, DOFP can relieve symptoms such as fatigue and depression in sub-health mice by regulating the disorder of the neuroendocrine-immune network.