Tocolysis effects of traditional Chinese medicine and their effective components

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for anti-abortion is based on the theory of gynecology of TCM, which aims to prevent and treat abdominal pain during pregnancy, fetal leakage, uneasy fetal movement, and fetal atrophy. Because of the complexity of the ingredients of Chinese Materia Medica, and the imprecise intervention mechanism for tocolysis, further investigation about the effects of Chinese herbs and their components on tocolysis by utilizing advanced technologies is required to be made. All the information available about TCM and its effects on pregnant women and fetuses was collected via electronic search using Web of Science, PubMed, and CNKI, and a library search was performed to locate classic herbal medicine books. The active ingredients in TCM were screened with the help of Traditional chinese medicine systems pharmacology database and analysis platform (TCMSP). The keywords being used included herbal names, pharmacology, pregnancy, threatened abortion, and fetus. Modern pharmacological studies have shown that TCM mainly prevents threatened abortion by a direct effect on the pregnant woman's immune system, sex hormones such as estrogen and progesterone, the uterus and the endometrium, and the decidual tissue such as the placenta. It may also address pregnancy complications due to advanced maternal age, infection, polycystic ovary syndrome, diabetes, and mental disorders caused by threat of a miscarriage. TCM protects against spontaneous miscarriage, but its mechanisms are largely unknown. This research applies scientific methods to characterize and examine the effective components of TCM and their application to lower the risk of abortion to the pregnant women and fetuses.