Clinical Observation on the Endocrinal and Immune Functions in Subjects with Yin-deficiency Constitution

Objective: To explore the relationship between yin-deficiency constitution (YDC) and biochemical indexes by way of observing the endocrinal and immune functions in subjects with YDC.

Methods: On the basis of epidemiological investigation, 60 subjects with YDC and 50 with gentle constitution (GC) were selected according to the pertinent criteria. From each subject, 8 mL of fasting venous blood was drawn at 8:00-9:00 in the morning, with the serum separated by centrifugation 3 000 r/min for 5 min and preserved at -70 degrees Celsius in a freezer. Serum levels of corticosterone, cortisol, adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH), cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP), free triiodothyronine (FT3), free thyroxine (FT4), throtropic stimulation hormone, interleukin 1beta (IL-1beta) and interleukin 2 (IL-2) were detected by double-antibody sandwich ELISA; cAMP/cGMP ratio was calculated, and the difference between the two constitutions in terms of these indexes was analyzed.

Results: Serum FT3 was 4.16 + or - 1.38 pmol/L in subjects with YDC, which was higher than that in subjects with GC (3.71 + or - 0.55 pmol/L), but levels of cortisol (124.58 + or - 45.36 ng/mL), ACTH (58.92 + or - 14.55 pg/mL), cGMP (66.00 + or - 18.02 pmol/mL) and FT4 (12.33 + or - 3.12 pmol/L) in YDC were lower than those in GC (13.43 + or - 2.31 pmol/L), showing significant difference (P<0.05).

Conclusion: YDC is related to some extent with the disturbances in the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis, hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid axis, cyclic nucleoside system and immune function.