OBJECTIVETo investigate the immunoregulation mechanism of Bushen Recipe (BSR) in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) of Gan-Shen yin-deficiency and lingering damp-heat syndrome (GSS).

METHODSThirty-five patients with positive HBV DNA and abnormal alanine transaminase (ALT) level were assigned to the treatment group (22 patients) and the control group (13 patients), they were treated with BSR and alpha-2b interferon for 6 months respectively. Blood levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), total bilirubin (TBIL) and HBV DNA were measured before and after treatment. And the expressions of immune effector molecules of nature killer (NK) cell, including perforin (PF), granzyme B (GrB), granulysin (GNLY), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and gamma-interferon (gamma-IFN), were detected using flow cytometry.

RESULTSLevels of ALT and AST declined significantly in both groups after treatment (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01), showing insignificant difference between them. And the expressions (%) of PF and GNLY in the treatment group reduced significantly after treatment, from 69.62 +/- 27.58 to 34.86 +/- 31.60 for PF and from 64.54 +/- 25.96 to 25.72 +/- 24.98 for GNLY (both P < 0.05). In the treatment group and the control group, as compared with before treatment, the total scores of Chinese medicine symptoms were significantly declined after treatment (P < 0.01), and the total scores of Chinese medicine symtoms in the treatment group was significantly lower than that of the control group (P < 0.05). As compared with the total effective rate of Chinese medicine syndromes in the control group after treatment, that in the treatment group was significantly increased (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe mechanism of BSR in immuneregulating on patients with CHB of GSS is by way of declining the expressions of relative immune effector molecules to promote the recovery of the damaged liver.