Traditional Chinese Medicine for Regulating Reproductive Aging: Pharmacological Activities and Mechanisms.
4 affiliations
- 1Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, Jilin, People's Republic of China.
- 2College of Humanities and College of Home Economics, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, Jilin, People's Republic of China.
- 3Reproductive Medical Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Second Norman Bethune Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, People's Republic of China.
- 4Guangdong Engineering Technology Research Center for Kidney Disease Pharmaceuticals, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People's Republic of China.
Abstract
With the postponement of marriage and childbearing age, the reproductive demand of advanced-age couples is steadily increasing, and reproductive aging has become a significant public health challenge facing societal development. Reproductive aging refers to the progressive functional decline of the reproductive system during organismal aging, accompanied by hormonal dysregulation, decreased gamete quality, and degeneration of reproductive organs. Compared with conventional Western medical therapies, which are often associated with side effects, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) offers a multi-target, low-cost alternative with favorable clinical safety and efficacy. This article systematically reviews the pathological mechanisms of reproductive aging and elucidates the anti-reproductive-aging mechanisms of four commonly used single-herb medicinals derived from natural products - Panax ginseng, Cistanche, Lycium barbarum, and Epimedium. The evidence indicates that these herbs improve reproductive function by modulating oxidative stress levels, exerting anti-inflammatory effects, inhibiting reproductive cell apoptosis, ameliorating mitochondrial function, and regulating reproductive hormone secretion. However, due to the absence of comparative studies evaluating the efficacy of certain herbal constituents within a single model and the insufficient depth of mechanistic validation, relevant clinical evidence for these herbs remains scarce. It is therefore imperative to conduct standardized multi-omics mechanistic exploration and large-sample, multicenter randomized controlled trials, and to strengthen the linkage between basic pharmacological research and clinical validation, thereby providing a more robust scientific basis for intervention strategies.
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BibTeX
@article{liu2026traditional,
title = {{Traditional Chinese Medicine for Regulating Reproductive Aging: Pharmacological Activities and Mechanisms.}},
author = {Jing Liu and Qi-Hang Zhao and Hai-Tao Jiang and Xiao-Wei Dai and Jun-Zheng Yang and Jia-Ni Gu and Wei Wang and Zhong-Mei He},
journal = {Drug design, development and therapy},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.2147/dddt.s639353},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42953779},
note = {CC BY-NC},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Traditional Chinese Medicine for Regulating Reproductive Aging: Pharmacological Activities and Mechanisms.
AU - Jing Liu
AU - Qi-Hang Zhao
AU - Hai-Tao Jiang
AU - Xiao-Wei Dai
AU - Jun-Zheng Yang
AU - Jia-Ni Gu
AU - Wei Wang
AU - Zhong-Mei He
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/24
JO - Drug design, development and therapy
DO - 10.2147/dddt.s639353
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42953779
AB - With the postponement of marriage and childbearing age, the reproductive demand of advanced-age couples is steadily increasing, and reproductive aging has become a significant public health challenge facing societal development. Reproductive aging refers to the progressive functional decline of the reproductive system during organismal aging, accompanied by hormonal dysregulation, decreased gamete quality, and degeneration of reproductive organs. Compared with conventional Western medical therapies, which are often associated with side effects, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) offers a multi-target, low-cost alternative with favorable clinical safety and efficacy. This article systematically reviews the pathological mechanisms of reproductive aging and elucidates the anti-reproductive-aging mechanisms of four commonly used single-herb medicinals derived from natural products - Panax ginseng, Cistanche, Lycium barbarum, and Epimedium. The evidence indicates that these herbs improve reproductive function by modulating oxidative stress levels, exerting anti-inflammatory effects, inhibiting reproductive cell apoptosis, ameliorating mitochondrial function, and regulating reproductive hormone secretion. However, due to the absence of comparative studies evaluating the efficacy of certain herbal constituents within a single model and the insufficient depth of mechanistic validation, relevant clinical evidence for these herbs remains scarce. It is therefore imperative to conduct standardized multi-omics mechanistic exploration and large-sample, multicenter randomized controlled trials, and to strengthen the linkage between basic pharmacological research and clinical validation, thereby providing a more robust scientific basis for intervention strategies.
SN - 1177-8881
ER -