本课题在前期工作基础上，根据传统酸入肝，酸补肝，肝开窍于目的中医学理论，我们提出“补肝的酸味中药能促进转运维生素A的相关蛋白的表达和/或结合，改善虚证相关的系列蛋白表达和虚证实验动物眼组织结构和功能变化，降低炎症反应，咸、苦中药有类似酸味但弱于酸味作用，辛、甘中药与酸味中药作用相反”的假说。利用去势大鼠导致干眼症的动物模型，通过形态学观察、聚合酶链式反应、免疫印迹法、高效液相色谱法、免疫共沉淀技术和激光共聚焦方法等来观察五味中药对实验动物泪腺组织结构、细胞凋亡和局部炎症因子的影响；分析对维生素A结合蛋白（RBP）及其受体STRA6的表达、结合和/或转运作用，检测对粘蛋白和泪液前蛋白的表达影响来证明假说。目的在于部分地揭示酸入肝，肝开窍于目的分子机制，并进一步探讨中药五味间、五行生克制化间的关系，推动中药性味学说的现代研究，促进性味学说在理论上的发展和实践中的运用。

This research is on the basis of traditional Chinese medicinal theory that sour herbs in taste enter the liver and enrich liver and the liver has its aperture in the eyes, so we propose the hypothesis that “Chinese medicinal materials that are sour in taste could promote the combination with the Vitamin A correlated proteins and (or) promote the transportation of Vitamin A correlated proteins, improve the expression of a series of proteins during deficiency syndrome, ameliorate the structural and functional alterations in the eye region of the deficiency syndrome experimental animals and inhibit the inflammation reactions. Chinese medicinal materials that are salty and bitter in taste have the similar and weaker effects compared with sour herbs in taste. While the acrid and sweet herbs in taste reveal opposite effectiveness in contrast with sour herbs in taste”. Through using animal models of ovariectomized rats cause of dry eye, we apply the morphology observation, PCR, western blotting, HPLC, chromatin immunoprecipitation assay (ChIP) and laser scanning confocal microscope techniques to observe the influences of five kinds of flavors on the structure of lachrymal gland, apoptosis and local inflammatory factors. By means of analyzing the expression, combination and (or) transportation effects of Vitamin A binding protein (RBP) and the receptor of STRA6 as well as analyzing the influences of five kinds of flavors on the expressions of mucoprotein (MP) and prealbumin (PA) to testify the hypothesis. This investigation aims to partial reveal the molecular mechanism that sour herbs in taste enter the liver and the liver has its aperture in the eyes. Furthermore, this research explores the relationships among Chinese medicinal materials of five flavors and mutual promotion and mutual restriction relationships among the five elements in depth. It is of great significance in promoting the modern studies and application.