ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the therapeutic effects of vitamine B(6) (Vit B(6)) and Xuefu Zhuyu Decoction (XFZY, for activating blood circulation to remove stasis) in patients with localized scleroderma(LSD).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Thirty-three patients were treated with XFZY and Vit B(6), with 15 cases taking orally prednisone acetate and 20 healthy volunteers as the control. Their level of soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) in the patients with LSD before and after treatment were observed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The level of sIL-2R and TNF-alpha in the serum from the patients with LSD were higher than those of healthy volunteers (P < 0.01). After treatment with Vit B(6) and XFZY, the level of sIL-2R and TNF-alpha from the patients with LSD decreased significantly (P < 0.01), but there were no difference between the group taking Vit B(6) plus XFZY and the group given prednisone.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The activating blood circulation to remove stasis approach in treating LSD with integrative Chinese and Western drugs got better results, and metabolic disorder of tryptophan might be correlated with the etiology of LSD.</p>