This study aims to examine the effect of superfine
powder and aqueous extract of Polygonati Rhizomaon on natural perimenopausal syndrome in rats and explore the underlying mechanism. To be specific, a total of 60 female SD rats(14-15 months old) with estrous cycle disorder were screened by the vaginal smear and randomized into model control group, β-
estradiol 3-benzoate group(0.1 mg·kg~(-1)), superfine
powder of Polygonati Rhizoma group(0.25, 0.5 g·kg~(-1)) and aqueous extract of Polygonati Rhizoma group(0.25, 0.5 g·kg~(-1)), and another 10 female SD rats(14-15 months old) were selected as the youth control group. The administration lasted 6 weeks. Then the perimenopausal syndrome-related indexes such as body temperature, microcirculatory blood flow of face and ear,
vertigo period, salivary secretion, grip force, and bone strength were determined and open field test was conducted. The immune system-related indexes such as the wet weight and index of thymus and spleen, percentage of T lymphocytes and subgroups in peripheral blood, and hematological indexes were measured. In addition, the ovary-related indexes such as estrous cycle, the wet weight and index of uterus and ovary, ovarian tissue morphology, and cell apoptosis were determined. Moreover, hypothalamus-pituitary-ovary axis(HPO)-related indexes such as serum
sex hormone levels,
cytochrome P450 family 11 subfamily A member 1(
CYP11A1),
cytochrome P450 family 19 subfamily A member 1(CYP19A1), and
cytochrome P450 family 17 subfamily A member 1(P450 17A1) in ovarian tissue were measured. The results showed that the superfine
powder and aqueous extract of Polygonati Rhizoma significantly decreased body temperature(anal, facial and dorsal temperature), microcirculatory blood flow in the ear, and
vertigo period, increased salivary secretion, grip force, bone strength, total distance and total speed in the open field test, wet weight and index of thymus and spleen, lymphocyte ratio, CD3~+ level, and CD4~+/CD8~+ ratio, reduced neutrophil number and ratio, estrous cycle disorder ratio, and number of ovarian apoptotic cells, raised wet weight and index of uterus, wet weight of ovary, levels of
inhibin B(INHB),
estradiol(E_2), anti-müllerian
hormone(AMH), and ovarian
CYP11A1 and CYP19A1, decreased
follicle-stimulating hormone(FSH) and
luteinizing hormone(LH) content, and improved ovarian tissue morphology. It is suggested that the superfine
powder and aqueous extract of Polygonati Rhizoma can improve the symptoms associated with natural perimenopausal syndrome in rats and enhance ovarian function and immune function. The mechanism is that they regulate HPO axis function by increasing
estrogen synthesis.