title: Effect of Yiqi Bushen Granule (益气补肾颗粒) on the peripheral natural killer cell and γ δ T-cell in the patients with minimal residual leukemia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyze the changes in peripheral natural killer T-cells (NKT) and gammadelta T-cells (γ δ T-cell) in patients with minimal residual leukemia (MRL) before and after being treated with Yiqi Bushen Granule (益气补肾颗粒, YBG) in order to determine their significance in prognosis of the disease. Granule (益气补肾颗粒, YBG) in order to determine their significance in prognosis of the disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  Before and after treatment, the changes in 36 patients (16 males and 20 females) receiving long-term (more than 3 months) YBG therapy were analyzed using multi-parameter flow cytometry, with 34 healthy persons (19 males and 15 females) acting as controls. males and 15 females) acting as controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The absolute value and percentage of NKT cells and γ δ T-cells were all significantly raised after treatment, for NKT cells, 0.52%±0.39% to 0.83%±0.66% and 7.25±7.77 cells cell/μL to 12.86±11.99 cell/μL, for γ δ T-cells, 6.08%±3.03% to 7.24%±2.78% and 83.97±48.09 cell/μL 110.53±54.12 cell/μL, respectively (P<0.05 or P<0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  YBG could regulate the immune function and elevate the amount of NKT cells and γ δ T-cells, thus to kill or suppress the residual leukemic cell in the body, which might be one of the mechanisms of YBG in prolonging the disease-free survival in MRL patients.
authors.affiliation: National Hematological Medical Center of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Department of Hematology, Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Yong-gang
authors.initials: YG
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Rou
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Xiao-hong
authors.initials: XH
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Xu-dong
authors.initials: XD
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Shu-zhen
authors.initials: SZ
authors.lastname: Sun
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D006801:Humans; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000187:drug effects*; D007938:Leukemia / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy*; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional; D008875:Middle Aged; D018365:Neoplasm, Residual; D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta