OBJECTIVETo investigate the clinical efficacy of compound periploca liquid (CPL) in treating condyloma acuminatum (CA), and to explore its mechanisms at molecular level.

METHODSEighty-one patients with CA were randomly divided into three groups, 30 patients in Group A were treated with CPL, 21 in Group B were treated with periploca syrup and 30 in Group C were treated with Youtuoxin (YXG). The clinical efficacy and adverse reaction occurred in the three groups was evaluated respectively. Besides, change of human papilloma virus (HPV) DNA in two patients with CA was determined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in vitro after being treated with CPL and periploca, the monarchic drug of CPL.

RESULTSThe cure rate obtained in group A, B, and C was 56.67%, 42.86% and 63.33% respectively, the total effective rate in them was 83.33%, 71.43% and 86.67% respectively, the difference of therapeutic efficacy was insignificant among the three groups. But the adverse reaction occurrence in them (6.67%, 4.76% and 86.67%) was significantly different (P < 0.01). The recurrent rate in them was 14.29%, 12.5% and 47.1% respectively. PCR showed negative expression of HPV in the two samples of CA of same concentration after the verrucous homogenate suspension being treated with CPL or periploca syrup of different concentration, while it was positive after the suspension was treated with the group of normal saline without any drug.

CONCLUSIONThe therapeutic efficacies of CPL, periploca syrup and Youtuoxin are not significantly different, but the former two have advantages of less adverse effects and lower recurrent rate. And they are possibly having germicidal action on HPV-DNA in CA tissue in vitro.