Objective: To observe the effects of rhubarb and enteral nutrition on C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in peripheral blood of patients with gastric cancer during perioperative period.
Methods: Fifty-six patients with gastric cancer were randomly assigned to three groups. The 20 patients in Group A were given conventional fluid supplement and parenteral nutrition; the 21 patients in Group B were given conventional fluid supplement and enteral nutrition via nasal feeding starting from the 42nd hour to the 8th day after operation; and the 15 patients in Group C were treated, besides the same fluid supplement and enteral nutrition as that for Group B, with additional three times of 10% rhubarb liquid medication, given at the day before operation (100 mL), and the 18th and 42th hour post-operation (50 mL in each time). Serum levels of CRP and IL-6 of all patients were measured at different time points, i. e. the day before operation (T0), the 1st (T1), 3rd (T2) and 7th day (T3) after operation.
Results: Acute inflammatory reaction happened in all the patients. However, the plasma level of CRP and IL-6 in Group C at T3 (12.67 +/- 4.28 mg/L and 18.17 +/- 11.10 mg/L) was significantly lower than those in Group A (19.72 +/- 9.73 mg/L and 20.44 +/- 6.32 mg/L) and Group B (21.27 +/- 10.46 mg/L and 20.29 +/- 7.79 mg/L), respectively (P < 0.05). And the recovery time of borborgmus in Group C were the shortest among the three groups.
Conclusion: Applying rhubarb on gastric cancer patients during perioperative period can effectively decrease the levels of CRP and IL-6 in peripheral blood, alleviate acute inflammatory reaction caused by operative trauma, promote the recovery of postoperative gastrointestinal motility and be beneficial for the supplement of enteral nutrition.