Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine ›› 2026, Vol. 46 ›› Issue (1): 22-33.DOI: 10.19852/j.cnki.jtcm.2026.01.003
• Original Articles • Previous Articles Next Articles
LI Junwei1,2,3,4, LIU Xinyue1,2,3,4, MOU Xuan1,2,3,4, XIE Hongliang1,2,3,4, GAO Yating5, ZHANG Aolin1,2,3,4, HE Tao1,2,3,4, YEUNG Tszching6, TANG Chao7, WU Xiaoke8, FAN Xiaohui1,2,3,4, WANG Chichiu6(
), LI Lu1,2,3,4,6(
)
Accepted:2025-10-30
Online:2026-02-15
Published:2026-01-28
Contact:
Prof. LI Lu, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences & Women's Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; State Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine Modernization, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; International Science and Technology Cooperation Base of Chinese Medicine Modernization and Big Health, Innovation Center of Yangtze River Delta, Zhejiang University, Jiaxing 314102, China; Modern Chinese Medicine and Reproductive Health Joint Innovation Center, Innovation Center of Yangtze River Delta, Zhejiang University, Jiaxing 314102, China; Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology; Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences; School of Biomedical Sciences; and Sichuan University-Chinese University of Hong Kong Joint Reproductive Medicine Laboratory, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China. Supported by:LI Junwei, LIU Xinyue, MOU Xuan, XIE Hongliang, GAO Yating, ZHANG Aolin, HE Tao, YEUNG Tszching, TANG Chao, WU Xiaoke, FAN Xiaohui, WANG Chichiu, LI Lu. Therapeutic effect and anti-inflammatory mechanism of modified Shoutai pills (改良寿胎丸) against lipopolysaccharide-induced miscarriage in mice[J]. Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2026, 46(1): 22-33.
| Item | Control | LPS | MSTP_L | MSTP_M | MSTP_H |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weight of pregnant mice | 31.48±0.83 | 30.28±3.10 | 30.30±1.89 | 31.91±1.30 | 31.67±1.45 |
| Weight of the pregnant uterus | 2.36±0.26 | 1.58±0.55 | 2.02±0.77 | 1.98±0.50 | 1.99±0.55 |
| Litter size per pregnancy | 14.38±2.07 | 14.75±1.48 | 14.20±3.71 | 14.44±2.24 | 14.56±2.13 |
| Resorption rate | 1.59±2.97 | 94.36±9.36a | 66.47±29.73 | 66.83±42.04 | 55.88±30.13b |
Table 1 Effect of MSTP on LPS-induced miscarriage in mice
| Item | Control | LPS | MSTP_L | MSTP_M | MSTP_H |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weight of pregnant mice | 31.48±0.83 | 30.28±3.10 | 30.30±1.89 | 31.91±1.30 | 31.67±1.45 |
| Weight of the pregnant uterus | 2.36±0.26 | 1.58±0.55 | 2.02±0.77 | 1.98±0.50 | 1.99±0.55 |
| Litter size per pregnancy | 14.38±2.07 | 14.75±1.48 | 14.20±3.71 | 14.44±2.24 | 14.56±2.13 |
| Resorption rate | 1.59±2.97 | 94.36±9.36a | 66.47±29.73 | 66.83±42.04 | 55.88±30.13b |
Figure 1 Effect of MSTP on pregnancy tissue morphology in LPS-abortive mice A: representative HE staining images of myometrium (A1-A3), placenta (A4-A6), and decidua (A7-A9) (× 20). A1, A4, A7: control group; A2, A5, A8: LPS group; A3, A6, A9: MSTP_H group. The yellow arrow refers to the placental cell nuclei and changes in red blood cells. The red arrow refers to decidual nuclei and staining changes. B: representative terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick-end labeling staining images (× 4). B1: control group; B2: LPS group; B3: MSTP_H group. The green arrow refers to the apoptotic cells. Control group treated with oral distilled water (0.3 mL) from E1 to E9; LPS group treated with oral distilled water (0.3 mL) from E1 to E9 and LPS on E9 (0.04 μg/kg); MSTP_H group treated with MSTP from E1 to E9 (4.4 g/kg) and LPS on E9 (0.04 μg/kg). dUTP: deoxyuridine triphosphate; LPS: lipopolysaccharide; MSTP_H: modified Shoutai pills_High dose.
Figure 2 DEGs in decidual and placental tissues A: volcano plots of DEGs in decidual tissues in LPS group vs control group; B: volcano plots of DEGs in decidual tissues in MSTP group vs control group; C: volcano plots of DEGs in decidual tissues in MSTP group vs LPS group; D: volcano plots of DEGs in placental tissues in LPS group vs control group; E: volcano plots of DEGs in decidual tissues in MSTP group vs control group; F: volcano plots of DEGs in decidual tissues in MSTP group vs LPS group; (G) number of upregulated and downregulated genes in LPS group vs control group, MSTP group vs control group, and MSTP group vs LPS group in decidual and placental tissues; H: venn diagram of DEGs in LPS group vs control group, MSTP group vs control group, and MSTP group vs LPS group in decidual tissues; I: venn diagram of DEGs in LPS group vs control group, MSTP group vs control group, and MSTP group vs LPS group in placental tissues. Control (control_D and control_P) group treated with oral distilled water (0.3 mL) from E1 to E9; LPS (LPS_D and LPS_P) group treated with oral distilled water (0.3 mL) from E1 to E9 and LPS on E9 (0.04 μg/kg); MSTP (MSTP_D and MSTP_P) group treated with MSTP from E1 to E9 (4.4 g/kg) and LPS on E9 (0.04 μg/kg). MSTP: modified Shoutai pills; D: decidua; P: placenta; DEGs: differentially expressed genes.
Figure 3 GO and KEGG analysis of DEGs in decidual and placental tissues from mice A: GO analysis of 51 DEGs in decidual tissues; B: KEGG analysis of 51 DEGs in decidual tissues; C: GO analysis of 59 genes in placental tissues. D: KEGG analysis of 59 genes in placental tissues. GO: gene ontology; KEGG: kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes; DEGs: differentially expressed genes.
Figure 4 Expression levels of TNF-α, TLR4, NF-κB, JNK1, and p38 in decidual and placental tissues of the mice A: relative expression level of TNF-α by qRT-PCR analysis in decidual tissues; B: relative expression level of TNF-α by qRT-PCR analysis in placental tissues; C: relative expression level of NF-κB by qRT-PCR analysis in decidual tissues; D: relative expression level of NF-κB by qRT-PCR analysis in placental tissues; E: relative expression level of TLR4 by qRT-PCR analysis in decidual tissues; F: relative expression level of TLR4 by qRT-PCR analysis in placental tissues; G: relative expression level of JNK1 (MAPK-8) by qRT-PCR analysis in decidual tissues; H: relative expression level of MAPK-8 by qRT-PCR analysis in placental tissues; I: relative expression level of p38 (MAPK-14) by qRT-PCR analysis in decidual tissues; J: relative expression level of MAPK-14 by qRT-PCR analysis in placental tissues; Control_D and Control_P treated with oral distilled water (0.3 mL) from E1 to E9, LPS_D and LPS_P treated with oral distilled water (0.3 mL) from E1 to E9 and LPS on E9 (0.04 μg/kg), MSTP_D and MSTP_P treated with MSTP from E1 to E9 (4.4 g/kg) and LPS on E9 (0.04 μg/kg). D: decidua; P: placenta; DEGs: differentially expressed genes; TNF-α: tumor necrosis factor-α; NF-κB: nuclear factor kappa-B; TLR4: toll-like receptor 4; JNK-1 (MAPK-8): c-Jun N-terminal kinase 1; qRT-PCR: quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction; p38 (MAPK-14): mitogen-activated protein kinases 14. Differences in means between groups were examined using one-way analysis of variance. Compared with the Control_P group, aP < 0.05; compared with the LPS_P group, bP < 0.05; compared with the LPS_D group, cP < 0.05; compared with the Control_P group, dP < 0.0001; compared with the LPS_P group, eP < 0.01; compared with the Control_P group, fP < 0.01; compared with the LPS_P group, gP < 0.001; compared with the Control_D group, hP < 0.05; compared with the LPS_D group, iP < 0.01.
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