Xiangshao granules regulate the dopaminergic synapse pathway and improve menopausal anxiety in peri- and postmenopausal Chinese women: A multi-center, double-blind, randomized controlled trial.

Authors

Ruiyi Tang, Zhuolin Xie, Yubo Fan, Jing Zhang, Ling Lu, Yali Zhuang, Cunju Guo, Kuanyong Shu, Shize Li, Ping Zhang, Kun Liu, Yuanyuan Zhang, Jianghai Ji, Qingling Ren, Qingfang Meng, Yi Lin, Xianghua Huang, Huimin Li, Ying Liu, Qijian Deng, Hongyan Chen, Mingming Su, Xinlei Zhang, Yufei Wang, Yaoyao Liang, Peng Zhang, Rong Chen

Published in

Acta pharmaceutica Sinica. B. Volume 16. Issue 9. Pages 5847-5863. Epub Jun 16, 2026.

Abstract

Anxiety is common among peri- and postmenopausal women, and many conventional treatments cause side effects. This multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial was conducted from December 2021 to June 2023 at 18 centers in China, enrolling 360 women aged 40‒65 years with menopausal anxiety. Participants were randomly assigned to receive Xiangshao granules (high-dose group, n = 180) or a placebo (very-low-dose group, n = 180) for 8 weeks. The primary outcome was the reductive ratio in self-rating anxiety scale (SAS) scores after 8 weeks, while secondary outcomes included the self-rating depression scale (SDS), Kupperman Index, and gastrointestinal symptom score (GIS). After eight weeks, the mean SAS reductive ratio was greater in the high-dose group than in the very-low-dose group (37.7% vs. 28.9%, P = 0.0052), and scores declined more in the high-dose than in the very-low-dose group, with a higher clinical improvement rate (69.8% vs. 56.9%, P = 0.0151). Although no significant between-group differences were observed for SDS, Kupperman Index, or GIS, all showed improvements from baseline. Adverse event rates were comparable. Transcriptomic analysis revealed modifications in the dopaminergic synapse pathway following Xiangshao treatment, while network pharmacology identified FOS, ATF2, and CREB1 as key dopaminergic pathway-related targets. Metabolomic data corroborated these findings. Collectively, Xiangshao granules safely and effectively alleviate menopausal anxiety, potentially by modulating dopaminergic signaling.

PMID:
42765076
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 21 Sep 2026.

Read full publication at:
Please sign in to see all details.

Stats

1-terrible, 9-excellent. How would you rate this publication? Sign in in to submit your rating.

Post a comment

You need to be signed in to post comments. You can sign in here.

Comments

There are no comments yet.