Exploring the therapeutic potential of tonic Chinese herbal medicine for gynecological disorders: An updated review.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Gynecological disorders have the characteristics of high incidence and recurrence rate, which sorely affects female's health. Since ancient times, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), especially tonic medicine (TM), has been used to deal with gynecological disorders and has unique advantages in effectiveness and safety. AIM OF THE REVIEW: In this article, we aim to summarize the research progress of TMs in-vivo and in-vitro, including their formulas, single herbs, and compounds, for gynecological disorders treatment in recent years, and to offer a reference for further research on the treatment of gynecological disorders and their clinical application in the treatment of TMs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Relevant information on the therapeutic potential of TMs against gynecological disorders was collected from several scientific databases including Web of Science, PubMed, CNKI, Google Scholar and other literature sources. RESULTS: So far, there are 46 different formulas, 3 single herbs, and 24 compounds used in the treatment of various gynecological disorders such as premature ovarian failure, endometriosis breast cancer, and so on. Many experimental results have shown that TMs can regulate apoptosis, invasion, migration, oxidative stress, and the immune system. In addition, the effect of TMs in gynecological disorders treatment may be due to the regulation of VEGF, PI3K-AKT, MAPK, NF-κB, and other signaling pathways. Apparently, TMs play an active role in the treatment of gynecological disorders by regulating these signaling pathways. CONCLUSION: TMs have a curative effect on the prevention and treatment of gynecological disorders. It could relieve and treat gynecological disorders through a variety of pathways. Therefore, the appropriate TM treatment program makes it more possible to treat gynecological disorders.

Elemental contents in serum of pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus.

Diabetes mellitus is characterized by hyperglycemia and is closely related to trace elements. Quite a few pregnant women suffer from impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) or gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Investigation of the changes of elemental contents in serum of the pregnant women with IGT and GDM is significant in the etiological research and cure of the diseases. In the present work, the elements Cu, Zn, Ca, Sr, Mg, P, Fe, and Al in the serum of pregnant women were determined. The elemental contents in different experimental groups were compared. Also, the correlation between elemental contents and gestational period was observed. The results showed that compared with normal pregnant women, the Cu contents in serum of pregnant women with GDM increased, but Zn contents had a decreasing trend. In addition, for all pregnant women, the Ca contents in serum had an obvious inverse correlation with gestational period.