[Effects and mechanisms of Renshen Guben Oral Liquid combined with Jingfang Granules on ovarian aging in perimenopausal mice].

A perimenopausal mouse model was established using 4-vinylcyclohexene diepoxide(VCD) combined with a high-fat diet to investigate the regulatory effects of Renshen Guben Oral Liquid in combination with Jingfang Granules on ovarian aging and metabolic function, integrating with metabolomics and network pharmacology to elucidate the underlying mechanisms. Animals were allocated into normal, model, low-(3.6 mL·kg~(-1)), medium-(7.2 mL·kg~(-1)), and high-dose(14.4 mL·kg~(-1)) Renshen Guben Oral Liquid, Jingfang Granules, combination treatment(14.4 mL·kg~(-1) Renshen Guben Oral Liquid + 4 g·kg~(-1) Jingfang Granules),and positive control(estradiol valerate, 0.18 mg·kg~(-1)) groups. Serum levels of total cholesterol(TC),triglyceride(TG),high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C),and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C) were measured using an automatic biochemical analyzer. Serum estradiol(E_2),follicle-stimulating hormone(FSH),luteinizing hormone(LH),and anti-Müllerian hormone(AMH) were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA). Ovarian histopathology was examined by hematoxylin-eosin(HE) staining. Potential targets and pathways were predicted through network pharmacology, and non-targeted metabolomics was applied to detect serum metabolite alterations. Western blot was employed to detect ovarian protein expression of estrogen receptor alpha(ERα),phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase(PI3K),protein kinase B(Akt),mammalian target of rapamycin(mTOR),forkhead box protein O1(FoxO1),and their phosphorylated forms. The results showed that compared to the model group, combination treatment markedly attenuated body weight gain, reduced Lee's index, restored the levels of TC, HDL-C, and LDL-C,and alleviated the disorders in E_2, FSH, LH, and AMH. Metabolomic analysis revealed disturbances in phospholipid and branched-chain amino acid metabolism in the model group, with enrichment in pantothenate and CoA biosynthesis as well as valine, leucine, and isoleucine biosynthesis pathways. Network pharmacology identified core targets including estrogen receptor 1(ESR1),mitogen-activated protein kinase 1(MAPK1),peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma(PPARG),and interleukin 6(IL6),which were associated with estrogen, PI3K/Akt, and FoxO signaling pathways. Western blot further demonstrated that combination treatment upregulated the protein expression of ERα,p-PI3K/PI3K,p-Akt/Akt, p-mTOR/mTOR,and p-FoxO1/FoxO1,thereby improving ovarian energy metabolism and apoptotic imbalance, ultimately exerting protective effects on ovarian function. These findings suggested that the synergistic use of Renshen Guben Oral Liquid and Jingfang Granules exerts multi-targeted regulation of ovarian metabolism and signaling pathways and improves ovarian function in perimenopausal mice, providing experimental evidence for TCM intervention in premature ovarian failure and perimenopausal syndrome.