Effect of Xiong-gui-jiao-ai tang on Th1/Th2 cytokines of abortive mice induced by RU486

To investigate the effect of Xiong-gui-jiaoai tang(XGJAT) on abortion model and its impact on Th1/Th2 cytokines at the maternal-fetal interface,the pregnant mice were divided into 4 groups: control group,RU486 group,RU486+progesterone(P) group and RU486+XGJAT group.All mice except the control were injected with 0.5 mL RU486 subcutaneously on day 4 of pregnancy to establish abortion model.At the same time,the mice in RU486+P group were injected with 0.1 mL progesterone and those of RU486+XGJAT group gavaged with 0.8 mL Xiong-gui-jiao-ai tang.Samples were collected in 19:00 on day 4,7:00 and 19:00 on day 5.The number of embryos were calculated and the contents of IFN-γ,IL-2,IL-4 and IL-10 in uterine supernatant were measured by Enzyme-Linked Immuno-absorbent Assay(ELISA).Results showed that,with decreased number of embryos,the contents of IFN-γ and IL-2 which represent Th1 cytokines significantly increased,while Th1 cytokines,such as IL-4 and IL-10,significantly decreased after treatment with RU486.Supplement with progesterone or Xiong-gui-jiao-ai tang efficiently attenuated the abortive effect of RU486 through the decreasing of Th1 cytokines and increasing the Th2 cytokines,indicating that Xiong-gui-jiao-ai tang modulates cytokine network in pregnancy and benefits embryo implantation and survival.