Bushen Tianjing Recipe inhibits human ovarian granulosa cell line KGN apoptosis induced by miR-23a through the regulation of the sirtuin family

Ethnopharmacological relevance: Bushen Tianjing Recipe (BTR) is a tonic-kidney formula of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) with good therapeutic effects in clinical settings. It was mainly applied to inhibit the decrease of ovarian reserve function in patients. However, the anti-apoptosis mechanism of BTR remains unknown.Aim of the study: The formula of BTR is composed of prepared rehmannia root, debark peony root, carapax testudinis and asiatic cornelian cherry fruit. All four components contain the essences of nourishing yin and tonic-kidney. In the theory of TCM, the kidneys store the essence and are primarily responsible for reproduction and development. Hence, we speculated that BTR had some effect on women's reproductive system. In our research, rat serum contains BTR resolved into culture medium for incubation with miR-23a-induced KGN cells to test and determine our hypothesis.Materials and methods: BTR was prepared by the traditional decoction method to collect concentrated liquids for oral administration to rats (15.00 g/kg) for 14 days. The group with miR-23a-induced KGN cells was selected as the positive control, while the mimic one was the control. Pro-apoptosis and anti-apoptosis biomarkers were detected and analyzed by western blot together with upstream transcription factors and intracellular apoptotic signal pathways. Results: The medium-and high-concentration of BRT greatly reduced the apoptosis of miR-23a-induced KGN cells both in mitochondria and cytoplasm. It showed the up-regulation of SIRT1 and SIRT3, the down-regulation of pro-apoptosis factor Bax and apoptotic-related proteins Caspase 3, 8, 9, and the reduction of phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and NF-kappa B. however, there was no consistency in the group with a low concentration of BTR, compared with those of other groups.Conclusion: Our research verified that BTR had a positive effect on women's reproductive system under medium or high concentration, illuminated the intrinsic mechanism at molecular levels, and convinced its potential application values in clinical settings.