Zuogui Wan rescues the high-glucose-induced damaging effects on early embryo development

Abstract

BackgroundHigh concentration of glucose in culture medium affects the developmental process and the quality of the pre-implantation embryo. This study examined the effects of Zuogui Wan (ZGW) supplementation on early embryo development cultured in high-glucose medium.MethodsEmbryos were cultured in high-glucose medium with or without ZGW supplementation. Developmental rate and competence was evaluated by cleavage rate, blastocyst rate, and blastocyst total cell number, reactive oxygen species (ROS) level, glutathione (GSH) concentration, and metabolome were also measured to determine the effect of ZGW on embryo development at the cellular level.ResultsCompared with the vehicle group, supplementation of 0.01 % (v/v) ZGW to high-glucose medium significantly increased cleavage rate (80.1 ± 1.0 % vs 72.1 ± 1.3 %), blastocyst rate (50.5 ± 1.0 % vs 41.3 ± 1.7 %), and blastocyst total cell number (63.2 ± 2.2 vs 57.2 ± 1.6). ROS level was lower and GSH concentration in blastocysts was higher in ZGW-treated group. Metabolomic analysis found that the ratio of glucose to succinic acid and glucose to fumaric acid were lower in the ZGW-treated group .ConclusionsDevelopmental rates of zygotes in high-glucose culture medium were significantly lower than those in regular culture medium. ZGW supplementation significantly improved embryo development and quality in high-glucose medium. Supplementing ZGW in high-glucose medium also significantly increased total cell number and GSH concentration but decreased ROS level in blastocysts likely by modifying metabolic profile during embryo development. Together, these data suggest that supplementation of ZGW rescues high-glucose-induced detrimental effects on pre-implantation embryo development.

The Synergistic Effect of Zuogui Pill and Eldecalcitol on Improving Bone Mass and Osteogenesis in Type 2 Diabetic Osteoporosis

“…Although the blood sugar-lowering effect of ZGP was slow, it exhibited a more significant, stable, and lasting effect from the third week onward. Studies have reported that ZGP can effectively lower blood sugar levels [ 24 , 25 , 38 , 39 ]. ZGP consists of eight Chinese herbs.…”

“…ZGP promotes osteoblast differentiation [ 19 , 20 , 21 ] and significantly increases bone density in senile OP, postmenopausal OP [ 21 ], and glucocorticoid-induced OP (GIOP) [ 16 , 22 ]. Furthermore, ZGP treatment positively affected DM by decreasing the glucose level in a rat model [ 23 ], avoiding the adverse effects of high sugar on embryonic development [ 24 ], and preventing impaired glucose tolerance in the offspring induced by a high sugar and fat diet. Conversely, ZGP improves kidney injury in diabetes [ 25 ].…”

Evaluating Traditional Chinese Medicine and Herbal Products for the Treatment of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus

“…These results suggest a cross-generational effect of Zuo Gui Wan on GDM mother and offspring through an unknown mechanism. A recent study found direct benefits of Zuo Gui Wan to fetal development and metabolism under high glucose stress when it was supplemented to cultured blastocysts [24]. Another study showed that Zuo Gui Wan facilitated ribosomal and mitochondrial functions in two-cell mouse embryonic cells during sugar metabolism, thus protecting them against cell death induced by glucose loading [25].…”