OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy of self-made Gengnian decoction on expressions of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase(PI3K),protein kinase B(Akt)and mammalian target of rapamycin(mTOR)in ovarian tissues of perimenopausal rats.They were identified with symptom patt of kid-ney-Yang deficiency in terms of Traditional Chinese Medicine.METHODS: Female Sprague-Dawley rats aged 10-12 months were selected.Estrous cycle was ob-served by vaginal smears of keratinocytes to screen the perimenopausal model rats.The chosen rats were randomly divided into five groups,including perimenopausal model of kidney-Vong deficiency group(24 rats),self-made Gengnian decoction of high-dose group(24 rats),self-made Gengnian de-coction of middle-dose group(24 rats),self-made Gengnian decoction of low dose group(24 rats)and tibolone control group(24 rats).In addition,rats aged 4-6 months were selected as young con-trol group.The perimenopausal model rats of kid-ney-Yang deficiency were prepared by altative intramuscular injection of hydrocortisone 5 mg · kg-1 · d-1 The successfully prepared models in self-made Gengnian decoction of high-dose,mid-dle-dose and low-dose groups and tibolone con-trol group were given self-made Gengnian decoc-tion 26.4,13.2 and 6.6 mg· Kg-1· d-1,and tibolone tablets solvent 0.22 mg · Kg-1 · d-1,respectively,through intragastric administration.Models group and young control group were given the same dose of normal saline,1 time a day for 15 consecu-tive days.24 h after the last administration,blood and ovarian tissues were collected after anesthesia with 20％ethyl carbamate.The follicles of different levels in ovarian tissue were observed and counted by histopathological hematoxylin-eosin staining.Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay was applied to test insulin-like growth factor-1(IGF-1)level in the serum of experimental rats.The expression lev-els of PI3K,phosphorylated-Akt(p-Akt)and phos-phorylated-mTOR(p-mTOR)mRNA in ovarian tissue were detected by quantitative real-time poly-merase chain reaction.RESULTS:The total follicle counts of perimenopaus-al model rats with kidney-Vong deficiency were sig-nificantly reduced,and the number of follicles(mainly increased in preantral follicles and antral follicles)in perimenopausal model rats with kid-ney-Vong deficiency was significantly increased af-ter intervention of high and middle doses of Geng-nian decoction and tibolone(P ﹤ 0.05).Compared with normal rats in young control group,the levels of IGF-1 in serum of perimenopausal rats with kid-ney-Vong deficiency were significantly decreased(P ﹤ 0.01),and those intervened by high dose of Gengnian decoction and tibolone were significant-ly up-regulated.The relative expression levels of PI3K,p-Akt,p-mTOR mRNA in ovarian tissues of per-imenopausal rats with kidney-Vong deficiency were significantly lower than those of young rats(P ﹤ 0.01),and those intervened by high dose of Geng-nian decoction and tibolone were significantly up-regulated(P ﹤ 0.05).CONCLUSION: Self-made Gengnian decoction can increase the levels of IGF-1,PI3K,Akt and mTOR mRNA expression in serum.