Traditional Chinese Medicine Applications in Recurrent Pregnancy Loss
Summary
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has long provided integrative strategies for managing recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL), understood in TCM as arising from patterns such as kidney deficiency, blood stasis and qi stagnation. Clinically, herbal formulas including kidney-tonifying prescriptions, blood-activating compounds and complex multi-component therapies are prescribed to restore endometrial receptivity, support embryonic development and modulate immune-endocrine homeostasis. Mechanistic studies reveal that active phytochemicals, such as flavonoids and saponins, can regulate inflammatory cytokine networks, inhibit excessive apoptosis in decidual and trophoblast cells, promote angiogenesis and adjust key metabolic pathways at the maternal–fetal interface. Recent network pharmacology and molecular-docking approaches have mapped compound-target interactions, uncovering pathways related to interleukin signalling, mitochondrial dynamics and glycolytic enzymes. Clinical trials suggest that combination regimens of TCM and conventional progesterone therapy may reduce early miscarriage rates, while systematic reviews identify significant although heterogeneous benefits of classical decoctions. Together, these findings underscore the global significance of TCM in RPL management, offering multi-targeted and personalised approaches that merit further standardised trials and mechanistic validation.
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Traditional Chinese Medicine Applications in Recurrent Pregnancy Loss publication trend
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Technical terms
Recurrent spontaneous abortion: Loss of two or more consecutive pregnancies before 20 weeks’ gestation.
Trophoblast: The outer layer of embryonic cells forming the placenta, essential for embryo implantation and nutrient exchange.
Network pharmacology: An approach integrating systems biology and pharmacology to map interactions among compounds, targets and disease pathways.
Molecular docking: Computational technique predicting the binding affinity and orientation between small molecules and target proteins.
Kidney-tonifying herbs: A category of TCM herbs aimed at strengthening kidney function, believed to support reproductive health and endocrine balance.
References
- New molecular mechanisms of quercetin in improving recurrent spontaneous abortion based on in-depth network pharmacology and molecular docking. Frontiers in Chemistry (2024).
- The Efficacy of Traditional Chinese Medicine Shoutai Pill Combined with Western Medicine in the First Trimester of Pregnancy in Women with Unexplained Recurrent Spontaneous Abortion: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis. BioMed Research International (2020).
- Chinese herbal medicine for the treatment of recurrent miscarriage: a systematic review of randomized clinical trials. BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies (2013).
- A Potential Mechanism of Kidney-Tonifying Herbs Treating Unexplained Recurrent Spontaneous Abortion: Clinical Evidence From the Homogeneity of Embryo Implantation and Tumor Invasion. Frontiers in Pharmacology (2022).
- The effect of a traditional Chinese quadri-combination therapy and its component quercetin on recurrent spontaneous abortion: A clinical trial, network pharmacology and experiments-based study. Frontiers in Pharmacology (2022).
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