[Clinical and experimental study on effects of huanglan granule in inhibiting rubella virus].
OBJECTIVE
To explore the therapeutic effect and acting mechanism of Huanglan Granule (HLG) on rubella virus (RuV).


METHODS
Sixty patients with positive RuV-IgM were randomly assigned to two groups equally, the treatment group was medicated by HLG (one dosage per day, containing milkvetch root, isatis root and basket fern, each 30 g), while the control group by ribavirin (0.2 g, three times per day) for 20 days. The negative conversion rate of RuV-IgM and the serum levels of interleukin-2 (IL-2) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) were observed before and after treatment. Moreover, the in vitro inhibitory activity of HLG against RuV Gos line on cultured Vero cells was determined by cytopathic inhibition method.


RESULTS
The difference of negative conversion rate between the two groups after one course treatment was significant (86.7% vs 63.3%, P <0.05). However, it turned to insignificant after two courses of treatment (100% vs 86.7%, P >0.05). The serum level of IL-2 was lower and TNF-alpha was higher significantly in patients with positive RuV-IgM as compared with the normal range, and the two indexes returned to the normal range rapidly after HLG treatment. In vitro study showed that the inhibitory effect of HLG on RuV caused cellular change was evident.


CONCLUSIONS
HLG has obvious inhibitory effect on RuV, both in vitro and in vivo, it can also raise the immunity of organism and thus it serves as a safe and effective Chinese medicine for treatment of active RuV infection.
Hospital of Integrative Chinese & Western Medicine, Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science & Technology, Wuhan. zxghy@163.com
Yi
Y
He
Xian-Ping
XP
Hao
Dan
D
Yang
D000328:Adult; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000097:blood; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000097:blood; D012409:Rubella / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D012412:Rubella virus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000097:blood; D055815:Young Adult
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D007376:Interleukin-2; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha