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Combination of Activating Blood Circulation and Detoxifying Chinese Medicines Played an Anti-Inflammatory Role in
Xiao-Juan Ma1,2, Wen-Hui Duan1,2, Ying Zhang1,2
1National Clinical Research Center for Chinese Medicine Cardiology, Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100091, China.
Insights
The combination of Chinese medicines Guanxin Danshen Droping Pill and Andrographis tablet significantly reduced inflammatory markers and improved symptoms in unstable angina (UA) patients. This combined therapy demonstrated superior anti-inflammatory effects compared to Guanxin Danshen Droping Pill alone.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Medicine
- Integrative Medicine
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Unstable angina (UA) is a critical manifestation of coronary artery disease.
- Inflammation plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis and progression of UA.
- Conventional treatments for UA often focus on improving blood flow and managing risk factors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the combined anti-inflammatory effects of activating blood circulation and detoxifying traditional Chinese medicines in patients with unstable angina.
- To compare the efficacy of a combination therapy (Guanxin Danshen Droping Pill + Andrographis tablet) against a single agent (Guanxin Danshen Droping Pill) in UA patients.
Main Methods:
- An open-labeled, randomized controlled trial involving 154 unstable angina patients across 5 centers.
- Patients received conventional treatment plus either Guanxin Danshen Droping Pill (ABC group) or Guanxin Danshen Droping Pill and Andrographis tablet (ABCD group) for 4 weeks.
- Primary outcome: serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP); Secondary outcomes: inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6), endothelial markers (sCD40L, TM), and clinical symptom scores.
Main Results:
- The combination therapy group (ABCD) showed significantly greater reductions in hs-CRP, IL-6, and TNF-α compared to the ABC group.
- Patients in the ABCD group experienced significantly better improvements in angina pectoris and blood stasis syndrome scores.
- No significant differences in baseline characteristics were observed between the two groups.
Conclusions:
- The combination of Guanxin Danshen Dropping Pill and Andrographis tablet provides a significant anti-inflammatory effect in unstable angina patients.
- This combined therapy is superior to using Guanxin Danshen Droping Pill alone for managing inflammation and symptoms in UA.
- The findings support the integration of specific Chinese medicines for enhanced management of unstable angina.
Objective:
To investigate the combined anti-inflammatory effect of activating blood circulation and detoxifying Chinese medicines in unstable angina (UA) patients.
Methods:
This study was an open-labeled, randomized controlled trial conducted in 5 centers in Beijing. A total of 154 patients were randomized into two groups at a 1:1 ratio by random numbers. Based on the conventional treatment, patients in the activating blood circulation (ABC) group were treated with Guanxin Danshen Droping Pill (, 0.4 g, thrice daily), and patients in the activating blood circulation and detoxifying (ABCD) group were treated with Guanxin Danshen Droping Pill (0.4 g, thrice daily) and Andrographis tablet (0.2 g, thrice daily) for 4 weeks. The primary outcome was the serum level of high sensitive C reaction protein (hs-CRP), and the secondary outcome index included the serum levels of tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), interleukin 6 (IL-6), soluble CD40 ligand (sCD40L), thrombomodulin (TM), the score of angina pectoris, the score of blood stasis syndrome, and the score of Chinese medicine symptoms, observed at week 0 and week 4.
Results:
A total of 144 patients completed the trial (ABC group, n=70; ABCD group, n=74). There were no significant differences in the clinical baseline characteristics between the two groups. When compared with the ABC group, ABCD group showed better performance in reducing the level of inflammatory factors, especially hs-CRP (P<0.05), IL-6 (P<0.01) and TNF-α (P<0.01). In term of clinical symptoms, ABCD group played a better role in improving the scores of angina pectoris and blood stasis syndrome than ABC group (all P<0.05).
Conclusions:
The combination of Guanxin Danshen Dropping Pill and Andrographis tablet exert significant anti-inflammatory effect on UA patients, which is superior to single Guanxin Danshen Dropping Pill. (Registration No. ChiCTR-TRC-13004072).
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