ABSTRACT
Objective:To observe the clinical therapeutic effect of Suanzaoren Tang combined with fluoxetine in the treatment of patients with depression of liver stagnation and blood deficiency accompanied by insomnia. Method:The patients with depression of liver stagnation and blood deficiency accompanied by insomnia （120 cases） were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group， with 60 cases in each group. The patients in the observation group received Suanzaoren Tang combined with fluoxetine， and those in the control group received fluoxetine. The course of treatment was eight weeks. The clinical efficacy was evaluated with Hamilton Depression Rating Scale （HAMD）， Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index（PSQI）， and Activities of Daily Living （ADL） score. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was used to determine the plasma levels of 5-hydroxytryptamine （5-HT）， norepinephrine （NE），brain-derived neurotrophic factor （BDNF）， glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor （GDNF）， neuron-specific enolase （NSE）， and S100<italic>β</italic>. Result:After eight weeks of treatment， the scores of HAMD and PSQI were reduced（<italic>P</italic><0.01）， while the scores of ADL were elevated（<italic>P</italic><0.01），and the levels of 5-HT， NE， GDNF and BDNF were up-regulated （<italic>P</italic><0.01） in the plasma of patients in the observation group as compared with those before treatment. After treatment， compared with the control group， the observation group showed increased total effective rate（<italic>P</italic><0.01）， decreased scores of HAMD and PSQI （<italic>P</italic><0.01）， elevated score of ADL（<italic>P</italic><0.01）， up-regulated levels of 5-HT， NE， GDNF and BDNF in plasma， and declining NSE and S100<italic>β</italic>（<italic>P</italic><0.01）. Conclusion:Suanzaoren Tang combined with fluoxetine is superior to fluoxetine alone in treating the depression of liver stagnation and blood deficiency accompanied by insomnia. Its therapeutic effect is achieved by increasing the release of monoamine neurotransmitters and promoting the secretion of BDNF and GDNF in the brain.