[Effect of Chinese medicine for resolving dampness on activated and functional T lymphocyte subsets in chronic hepatitis B patients with dampness syndrome].
OBJECTIVE
To explore the relation between the effect of Huashi Decoction (HD) and levels of activated and functional T lymphocyte subsets in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients of dampness syndrome (DS).


METHODS
Seventy CHB patients were nonrandomly assigned to two groups, the treated group (n = 45) treated by HD and the control group (n = 30) by nucleotide analogies. The clinical efficay was observed and levels of activated and functional T lymphocyte subsets were detected before and after treatment.


RESULTS
The peripheral blood levels of CD8+ CD28+ and CD4+ CD28+ T cells were significantly lower in CHB patients than those in the healthy subjects (P < 0.01), which were higher in the treated group after treatment compared with those before treatment (P < 0.05), while the CD8+ CD38+ T cell level was significantly higher in CHB patients than in the healthy subjects (P < 0.05), which was lower in the treated and the control groups after treatment than those before treatment respectively (P < 0.05). No significant difference was found in the markedly effective rate and total effective rate between the two groups (P > 0.05). The levels of CD8+ CD28+ and CD4+ CD28+ T cells increased and the CD8+ CD3+ and CD4+ CD25+ T cell level decreased obviously after treatment in those who acquired marked effectiveness (P < 0.05), while they changed insignificantly in those who did not acquire marked effectiveness (P > 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
HD is effective in regulating activated and functional T lymphocyte subsets in CHB patients with DS, which might be its mechanism of inhibiting virus replication and eliminating virus.
Zhang
Shi-Jun
SJ
The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhongshan Universty of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou. zhsjun1967@yahoo.com.cn
Chen
Ze-Xiong
ZX
Lin
You-Wu
YW
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional; D008875:Middle Aged; D008517:Phytotherapy; D013577:Syndrome; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000187:drug effects*
D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal