title: Efficacy of oxymatrine for treatment and relapse suppression of severe plaque psoriasis: results from a single-blinded randomized controlled clinical trial.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Drugs that are currently used in the treatment of psoriasis are associated with drawbacks such as rapid recrudescence, high costs and unwanted side-effects. Oxymatrine has a long history of clinical use in the treatment of hepatitis and cancer in China.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To explore the efficacy and safety of intravenous oxymatrine in patients with severe plaque psoriasis.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 67 patients were randomly allocated to receive oxymatrine injections (0.6 g per day for 8 weeks) or acitretin capsules (0.75 mg kg-1per day from week 0 to week 2 and 20-30 mg per day from week 3 to week 8) and followed up for another 24 weeks. The primary end point was the percentage of patients with ≥ 50% reduction of Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI 50) at week 32. The secondary end points included the skin classification grade and the Dermatology Quality of Life Index (DLQI) score. Side-effects were recorded throughout the whole study to assess the safety profile.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Treatment with oxymatrine or acitretin for 8 weeks significantly decreased PASI score, skin classification grade and DLQI score (P < 0.001), with no significant differences between the oxymatrine and acitretin groups in terms of PASI 50. However, at week 32, the relapse rate in the oxymatrine group was significantly lower than that of the acitretin group (P < 0.001). Moreover, while there was an increase in the number of patients with metabolic abnormalities in the acitretin group, a significant reduction was observed in the oxymatrine group. Furthermore, rates of adverse reactions were significantly decreased in the oxymatrine group compared with that of the acitretin group (P < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Treatment with oxymatrine effectively ameliorated severe plaque psoriasis, and was accompanied by only minor adverse effects.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Medicine, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, 750004, China.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatovenereology, Ningxia Medical University General Hospital, Yinchuan, 750004, China.
authors.forename: H-J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatovenereology, Ningxia Medical University General Hospital, Yinchuan, 750004, China.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatovenereology, Ningxia Medical University General Hospital, Yinchuan, 750004, China.
authors.forename: W-G
authors.initials: WG
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatovenereology, Ningxia Medical University General Hospital, Yinchuan, 750004, China.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Medicine, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, 750004, China.
authors.forename: H-B
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Medicine, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, 750004, China.
authors.forename: K-P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Bo
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Medicine, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, 750004, China.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ma
mesh_terms: D017255:Acitretin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D000328:Adult; D000470:Alkaloids / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D007641:Keratolytic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D008297:Male; D011565:Psoriasis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011788:Quality of Life; D011807:Quinolizines / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D055502:Secondary Prevention; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D000093842:Matrines
chemical_list: D017255:Acitretin; D000470:Alkaloids; D007641:Keratolytic Agents; D011807:Quinolizines; C037573:oxymatrine; D000093842:Matrines