Objective:To observe the effects of Liuwei Dihuang Granule(六味地黄颗粒,LDG) for tonifying Kidney(Shen) on the outcomes of in vitro fertilization pre-embryo transfer(IVF-ET) of infertility women with Kidneyyin deficiency syndrome and to explore its mechanism by detecting the proteome expression in the follicular fluid.Methods:Sixty-six infertility patients of Kidney-yin deficiency syndrome who would undergo IVF-ET,were randomly assigned to a treatment group and a control group according to a random number table,33 cases in each group.Another 33 cases of non-Kidney-yin deficiency syndrome was taken as a syndrome-control group.Besides Western routine therapy,LOG was given 3 menstrual cycles before IVF to the treatment group,and a placebo granule to the control and syndrome-control groups.The scores of Kidney-yin deficiency symptoms(sore waist and knees,dry vagina,dysphoria with feverish sensation in the chest,palms and soles,etc.) were assessed,the number of retrieved oocytes,rates of high quality oocytes and embryos,fertility rate and clinical pregnancy rate were recorded,and the follicular fluid was collected on the day when the ovum was picked up,the drfferential protein expression was detected using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis,and then,matrix assisted laser desorption ionization time-of flight mass spectrometry(MALDI-TOF-MS) was applied to identify the proteins.Results:The syndrome score in the treatment group decreased significantly from 16.09 ±2.58 to 8.67 ±2.13,while it changed insignificantly in the control group,with a significant difference in the lowering score between the two groups(P<0.05);the high quality rates of oocytes and embryos and clinical pregnancy rate were all superior in the treatment group to the control group(82.29%vs78.08%,76.76%vs 68.79%,63.64%vs 36.36%,all P<0.05).The protein expression map from the follicular fluid showed that compared with the control group,33 differential protein expressions were found in the syndrome-control group,among which 18 were down-regulated,
