Metabonomics Study on the Infertility Treated With Zishen Yutai Pills Combined With In Vitro Fertilization-embryo Transfer

Abstract

Zishen Yutai Pills (ZYP) is a safe and well quality-controlled TCM preparation with promising effects in many fields of reproduction, including prevention of miscarriage, increase of pregnancy rate during in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer (IVF-ET). The plasma of patients was collected from a clinical trial, namely, “Effect of Traditional Chinese Medicine vs placebo on live births among women undergoing in vitro fertilization, a multi-center randomized controlled trial.” Plasma samples were analyzed with metabonomics method. UPLC-MS technology was used to establish the plasma metabolic fingerprint. Multivariate statistical analysis was applied for comparing the differences of plasma metabolites between ZYP group and placebo group, 44 potential metabolites were screen out and identified. Pathway analysis was conducted with database mining. Compared with placebo, chemicals were found to be significantly down-regulated on HCG trigger day and 14 days after embryo transplantation, including trihexosylceramide (d18:1/26:1), glucosylceramide(d18:1/26:0), TG(22:6/15:0/22:6), TG(22:4/20:4/18:4). Compared with placebo, some chemicals were found to be significantly up-regulated on HCG trigger day and 14 days after embryo transplantation, i.e., PIP3(16:0/16:1), PIP2(18:1/18:1), tauroursodeoxycholic acid, L-asparagine, L-glutamic acid, kynurenic acid, 11-deoxycorticosterone, melatonin glucuronide, hydroxytyrosol. These metabolites were highly enriched in pathways including sphingolipid metabolism, alanine, aspartic acid and glutamic acid metabolism, aminoacyl tRNA biosynthesis, taurine and hypotaurine metabolism. This study revealed metabolic differences between subjects administered with ZYP and placebo. Relating metabolites were identified and pathways were enriched, providing basis on the exploration on the underlying mechanisms of ZYP combined with IVF-ET in the treatment of infertility.