[Study on efficacy of treatment of acute leukemia by shengfu injection in combination with chemotherapy and the effect on cellular immunity, serum interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha levels].
OBJECTIVE
To observe the efficacy of treatment of acute leukemia by Shengfu Injection (SFI) in combination with chemotherapy and the effect of treatment on T-lymphocyte subsets (CD4, CD8, CD4/CD8), serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha).


METHODS
Sixty-one patients with acute leukemia of initiatory treating were randomly divided into two groups, the 31 patients in the treated group were treated with SFI plus chemotherapy and the 30 patients in the control group treated with chemotherapy alone. The remission rate, changes of absolute number of peripheral mature neutrophils, T-lymphocyte subsets, serum levels of IL-6 and TNF-alpha before and after treatment were observed.


RESULTS
The remission rate was higher in the treated group than that in the control group but the difference was insignificant (P > 0.05). The restoring of peripheral mature neutrophils in the treated group was higher than that in the control group, from the 3rd week of treatment, the difference was significant (all P < 0.05). CD4 and CD4/CD8 ratio after treatment increased in both groups, the increment was more obvious in the treated group than that in the control group significantly (P < 0.05). Serum levels of IL-6 and TNF-alpha lowered in both groups after treatment significantly(all P < 0.01), but the decrement was greater in the treated group with significant difference to the control group (P < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
SFI could improve and regulate the immune function in acute leukemia patients undergoing chemotherapy and enhance the therapeutic effect.
Wei
Ying-fei
YF
Department of Hematology, Hebei Provincial People's Hospital, Shijiazhuang 050000. YingFeiwei@hotmail.com
Du
Hui-lan
HL
Wang
Su-yun
SY
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood*; D015470:Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008517:Phytotherapy; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism*
D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D015850:Interleukin-6; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha