Effects of Xuebijing on intestinal function and inflammatory responses in patients with severe burn.

Objective To investigate the effects of Xuebijing injectio (Chinese herb preparation) on intestinal function and inflammatory responses in severe burn patients. Method Thirty-two patients with comparable severity in burn injury were randomly divided into Xuebijing injectio treatment group (n = 16) and control group (n = 16). Patients in both groups received routine burn therapy, while those in Xuebijing treatment group additionally received Xuebijing injectio 100mL in intravenous drip twice a day for 7 days. Before the treatment and on the 3rd and the 7th day after the treatment, blood concentrations of diamine oxidase (DAO), lipopolysaccharide (LPS) ,tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were determined in both groups. Analysis was made by SPSS 12.0 software. Results The plasma levels of DAO, LPS, TNF-α and IL-6 were decreased in both groups after the treatment. However, the plasma levels of DAO, LPS, TNF-α and IL-6 in the Xuebijing treatment group were significantly lower than those in control group on the 3rd and 7th day after the treatment (P＜ 0.05).Conclusions Xuebijing injectio could protect intestinal function, decrease the plasma level of endotoxin and lessen zhe inflammatory responses in severe burn patients. Key words: Xuebijing;  Burns;  Diamine oxidase;  Lipopolysaccharide; Tumor necrosis factor-α;  Interleukin-6