Objective: To explore the effect and mechanism of Shenqi Fuzheng Injection (SFI) for assisting of chemotherapy in treating colorectal cancer (CRC).
Methods: Forty CRC patients were randomly and equally assigned to two groups, the control group received chemotherapy of FOLFOX protocol and the test group treated with the same chemotherapy combining with SFI. The CD4+ CD25+ regulatory T (Treg) cells, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-12 (IL-12) in peripheral blood were determined before and after treatment, and the toxicity of chemotherapy assessed according to the WHO criteria for acute and subacute toxic reaction of anticancer drugs.
Results: Two cases in the control group were lost during the observing period. The amount of CD4+ CD25+ Treg cells in peripheral blood in CRC patients was significantly higher than the normal range (P<0.05), which was lowered significantly after treatment in both groups (P<0.05). Levels of TNF-alpha and IL-12 significantly elevated in the test group after treatment but lowered in the control group, showing significant difference between groups (both P<0.05). As compared with the control group, the adverse reaction to the chemotherapy was significantly lessened in the test group (P<0.05).
Conclusion: Using SFI for assisting chemotherapy could not only improve the immune function of organism to enhance the effect of chemotherapy, but also reduce the adverse reaction of the chemotherapy.