Efficacy of ursodeoxycholic acid combined with Tongdan Decoction (通胆汤) on immunological indices and histopathological changes in primary biliary cirrhosis patients

• DOI: 10.1007/s11655-0112-0962-9
• Publication Date: 2012-01-09T06:49:26Z
• Authors: Guang-dong Tong; Hai-hong Tang; Chun-shan Wei; Ying-jie Chen; Jin-song He; Xiao-zhou Zhou; Ying-jun Zheng; Da-qiao Zhou
• Keywords: Ursodeoxycholic acid; Decoction; Primary Biliary Cirrhosis

To observe the efficacy of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) combined with Tongdan: Decoction () on immunological indices and histopathological changes in patients with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) of IIor III histological stage.Sixty PBC patients were assigned randomly and equally: to the control group treated with UDCA alone and the treatment group treated with UDCA combined with Tongdan Decoction. The immunological indices and histopathological changes were detected before and after 24-week treatment, and the follow-up lasted for 1-3 years.After 24-week treatment, CD4(+)CD28(-) in the peripheral blood was lowered and CD4(+)CD25(+) was increased in both groups, and better effect was shown in the treatment group (P<0.01). The levels of IgM, IgG, and IgA decreased markedly after 96-week treatment in the treatment group (P< 0.05, P< 0.01), while in the control group, only the latter two showed significant decrease after 148 week (all P<0.05). At the end of the 3-year follow-up, the medians of histopathological <inflammation grading and fibrosis staging declined to a lower rank, and the effect on inflammation was superior in the treatment group to the control group shown by non-parameters Wilcoxon paired symbols test ( Z=2.761,P=0.006).Combined therapy of Tongdan Decoction and UDCA showed a better therapeutic effect: than UDCA monotherapy on PBC, especially in improving immunological indices and histopathological hepatic changes.