Mechanism Exploration of Environmental Pollutants on Premature Ovarian Insufficiency: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Exploring the Mechanism of Yiwei Decoction in the Intervention of a Premature Ovarian Insufficiency Rat Based on Network Pharmacology and the miRNA-mRNA Regulatory Network

OBJECTIVE

our aim is to explore the mechanism of action of Yiwei decoction (YWD) in addressing premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) through a combination of transcriptomics and network pharmacology. By doing so, we hope to identify important pathways of action, key targets, and active components that contribute to the efficacy of YWD.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

group A comprised of the model + traditional Chinese medicine group, while group B was the model control group and group C was the normal control group. After gavage, serum AMH and E2 levels were measured by using ELISA. HE staining was used to study the impact of YWD on ovarian follicle recovery in POI rats. Additionally, RNA-seq sequencing technology was employed to analyze the transcription levels of mRNAs and miRNAs in the ovarian tissues of each group, and the resulting data were examined using R. YWD used UPLC-Q-TOF-HRMS to analyze its active ingredients. Upon obtaining the sequencing results, the miRWalk database was utilized to forecast the targets of DEmiRNAs. Network pharmacology was then applied to predict the targets of active ingredients present in YWD, ultimately constructing a regulatory network consisting of active ingredients-mRNA-miRNA. The coexpression relationship between mRNAs and miRNAs was calculated using the Pearson correlation coefficient, and high correlation coefficients between miRNA-mRNA were confirmed through miRanda sequence combination.

RESULTS

the application of YWD resulted in improved serum levels of AMH and E2, as well as an increased number of ovarian follicles in rats with POI. However, there was a minimal impact on the infiltration of ovarian lymphocytes. Through GSEA pathway enrichment analysis, we found that YWD may have a regulatory effect on PI3K-Akt, ovarian steroidogenesis, and protein digestion and absorption, which could aid in the treatment of POI. Additionally, our research discovered a total of 6 DEmiRNAs between groups A and B, including 2 new DEmiRNAs. YWD contains 111 active compounds, and our analysis of the active component-mRNA regulatory network revealed 27 active components and 73 mRNAs. Furthermore, the coexpression network included 5 miRNAs and 18 mRNAs. Our verification of MiRanda binding demonstrated that 12 of the sequence binding sites were stable.

CONCLUSIONS

our research has uncovered the regulatory network mechanism of active ingredients, mRNA, and miRNA in YWD POI treatment. However, further research is needed to determine the effect of the active ingredients on key miRNAs and mRNAs.

The adverse role of endocrine disrupting chemicals in the reproductive system

Reproductive system diseases pose prominent threats to human physical and mental well-being. Besides being influenced by genetic material regulation and changes in lifestyle, the occurrence of these diseases is closely connected to exposure to harmful substances in the environment. Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), characterized by hormone-like effects, have a wide range of influences on the reproductive system. EDCs are ubiquitous in the natural environment and are present in a wide range of industrial and everyday products. Currently, thousands of chemicals have been reported to exhibit endocrine effects, and this number is likely to increase as the testing for potential EDCs has not been consistently required, and obtaining data has been limited, partly due to the long latency of many diseases. The ability to avoid exposure to EDCs, especially those of artificially synthesized origin, is increasingly challenging. While EDCs can be divided into persistent and non-persistent depending on their degree of degradation, due to the recent uptick in research studies in this area, we have chosen to focus on the research pertaining to the detrimental effects on reproductive health of exposure to several EDCs that are widely encountered in daily life over the past six years, specifically bisphenol A (BPA), phthalates (PAEs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), parabens, pesticides, heavy metals, and so on. By focusing on the impact of EDCs on the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis, which leads to the occurrence and development of reproductive system diseases, this review aims to provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms of EDCs' damage to human health and to encourage further in-depth research to clarify the potentially harmful effects of EDC exposure through various other mechanisms. Ultimately, it offers a scientific basis to enhance EDCs risk management, an endeavor of significant scientific and societal importance for safeguarding reproductive health.