Improvement in post-partum uterine involution in rats treated with Apios americana

Abstract

Objective: Apios americana, a plant used as a staple ingredient of native American diets, has various properties, including anti-cancer, anti-hyperglycemic, hypotensive, and anti-inflammatory activity. In Japan, Apios is used as a post-natal medication. After parturition, women undergo a period of recovery as they return to pre-pregnancy conditions. However, few health products that aid post-partum recovery are on the market. We explored whether Apios can accelerate the post-partum recovery process, in particular the involution of the uterus. Methods: Female rats kept in individual cages were mated with two male rats, with the exception of the control group (female rats without mating, on basal diet; n=6). After delivery, rats were divided into five groups based on their diet: basal diet (model; n=6); basal diet+oral intake at 5.4 g/kg of Chanfukang granules (a Chinese patent medicine preparation for post-partum lochia) (positive; n=6); basal diet containing 10% Apios powder (low; n=6); basal diet containing 20% Apios powder (medium; n=6); basal diet containing 40% Apios powder (high; n=6). Five days later, uteri and spleens were weighed. Uterus and spleen indices for each rat were calculated by dividing visceral weight by the total weight. Hormone and cytokine concentrations were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Histological analysis of uteri was completed using hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining. Expression of matrix metalloproteinases and inhibitors in uteri was measured by western blotting. Results: Our results showed that Apios treatment reduced the post-partum uterus index and regulated the hormone concentrations. Moreover, we found that the process of uterine involution was accelerated, based on morphological changes in the uterus. In addition, our results indicated that Apios alleviated the inflammatory response induced by the involution process. Transforming growth factor β was also found to be regulated by Apios. There were significant downregulation of matrix metalloproteinases and upregulation of their inhibitors by Apios, which suggested that Apios increased the rate of the collagen clearance process. Conclusions: These results, based on experimental observations at the molecular and protein levels, verified our hypothesis that Apios can improve uterine involution, and demonstrated the potential application of Apios in post-partum care.

Apios americana Medikus: A novel and promising food for postpartum uterine involution

“…The endometrium of the control group was twice thicker than that of the model group, whereas the positive and AM treatment groups all promoted endometrial thickening in varying degrees, especially the high-AM treatment group. Compared to previous research, endometrium was thicker when treated with AM during the whole pregnancy period compared with just postpartum intervention (Zheng et al, 2019).…”

“…In the previous research, we have verified that AM intervention effectively accelerated the postpartum uterine involution in rats (Zheng et al, 2019). However, uterine involution in rodents only persists a short period: cervical epithelial folds healed by 48 h postpartum, and the early blood cell debris and fibrin deposits disappeared rapidly within 5 days (Stanley et al, 2015;Yoshii et al, 2014), whereas female humans have three distinct postpartum phases to go through, which can even persist for about 6 months (Lyon, 2004).…”

“…However, uterine involution in rodents only persists a short period: cervical epithelial folds healed by 48 h postpartum, and the early blood cell debris and fibrin deposits disappeared rapidly within 5 days (Stanley et al., 2015; Yoshii et al., 2014), whereas female humans have three distinct postpartum phases to go through, which can even persist for about 6 months (Lyon, 2004). Hence, AM intervention during postpartum period in previous study might have not exerted AM utility on uterine involution completely and lack of persuasiveness for practical development and utilization (Zheng et al., 2019). Therefore, attention was paid to the whole pregnancy AM intervention to explore its tubers’ recovery ability of postpartum uterine involution.…”

“…Apios americana Medikus (Groundnut, AM), a healthy food native to North America, has been reported with high nutrition and multiple bioactivities, and has been long regarded as a kind of staple food locally (Li et al., 2021). Previous studies have proved that AM was rich in fatty acids, proteins, amino acids, and carbohydrates (Zheng et al., 2019). Meanwhile, AM contains various bioactive substances including isoflavone, phenolic acids, polysaccharides, and trace elements (Li et al., 2021).…”

“…Previous studies have proved that AM was rich in fatty acids, proteins, amino acids, and carbohydrates (Zheng et al, 2019). Meanwhile, AM contains various bioactive substances including isoflavone, phenolic acids, polysaccharides, and trace elements (Li et al, 2021).…”