title: Effect of anluohuaxian tablet combined with gamma-IFN on schistosomal liver fibrosis.
abstract: The therapeutic effects of anluohuaxian tablet combined with gamma-IFN on schistosomal liver fibrosis and its mechanism were studied in a murine model and clinical cases of schistosomal liver fibrosis. Fifty Kunming mice were randomly divided into 5 groups: normal control group, infection control group, anluohuaxian tablet-treated group, gamma-IFN-treated group and combined treatment (anluohuaian tablet+gamma-IFN) group. Pathologic changes in liver, including hepatic pigmentation and the size of schistosomal egg granuloma, were observed by HE staining after treatment for 8 weeks. The expression of the type I and collagen III, and TIMP-1 was detected by immunohistochemistry. TGF-beta1 mRNA expression was examined by real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR. Sixty patients with schistosomal liver fibrosis were divided into treatment group and control group. The patients in treatment group were treated with anluohuaxian tablet in combination with gamma-IFN for 6 months. Before and after treatment, the changes of symptoms and signs, liver function, serum liver fibrosis indexes and imaging indexes were observed. The results showed that as compared with infection control group, all forms of treatments relieved the hepatic pathological injury with apparently diminished size of schistosomal egg nodules and decreased percentage of pigmentation (P<0.05). Furthermore, the expression of collagen I and III, TIMP-1, and TGF-beta1 mRNA in combined treatment group was significantly decreased as compared with anluohuaxian tablet-treated and gamma-IFN-treated groups (P<0.05). In the clinical observation, the serum liver fibrosis indexes, the portal vein width as well as the spleen thickness was significantly reduced in treatment group as compared with control group (P<0.05). It was concluded that the combined use of anluohuaxian tablet with gamma-IFN in schistosomal liver fibrosis could protect liver function, alleviate liver fibrosis, and could be used as a choice in treating patients with schiatosomal liver fibrosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China. huangjiaquan@yahoo.com.cn
authors.forename: Jiaquan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Haiyan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Yuntao
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jiao
authors.forename: Guo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ai
authors.forename: Tiejun
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Lan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Haijing
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Ke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Fei
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Xiao
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D011897:Random Allocation; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D012554:Schistosomiasis japonica / Q000150:complications* / Q000378:metabolism; D013607:Tablets; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D013607:Tablets; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta; D007371:Interferon-gamma