RESUMO
Objective::To observe the clinical efficacy of Duhuo Xuduan Tang for oral administration and iontophoresis in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis (KOA) with liver and kidney deficiency and its effect on stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1)/C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4 (CXCR4) signaling pathway. Method::Totally 150 KOA patients with deficiency of liver and kidney diagnosed in the Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM) were randomly divided into control group, oral TCM group and iontophoresis group, with 50 cases in each group. The control group was given glucosamine sulfate capsule, 0.5 g/time, twice a day, while the oral TCM group was given Duhuo Xuduan Tang, 150 mL/time, twice a day. In the iontophoresis group, Duhuo Xuduan Tang was administered at Kuangu acupoint, Xiguan acupoint, Xiyan acupoint and Dubi acupoint for iontophoresis for 30 minutes, once a day. All of the three groups were treated for 4 weeks. The swelling degree and the pain degree of knee joint before and after treatment were observed, and the clinical efficacy was recorded. The protein contents of SDF-1, CXCR4, matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3) and matrix metalloproteinase-13 (MMP-13) in knee joint fluid before and after treatment were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Result::The efficacy of oral TCM group was better than that of iontophoresis group and control group, and the recurrence rate was the lowest (P<0.05). Compared with before treatment, the tenderness increased, whereas visual analogue scale(VAS) score, knee swelling score, The Western Ontario and McMaste Universities (WOMAC) score and SDF-1, CXCR4, MMP-3 and MMP-13 protein content in knee joint fluid decreased in oral TCM group after treatment, which were better than those in iontophoresis group and control group (P<0.05). Conclusion::Duhuo Xuduan Tang for oral administration and iontophoresis has an obvious effect on KOA with liver and kidney deficiency, with the best effect through oral administration. Its mechanism may be related to the inhibition of SDF-1/CXCR4 inflammatory signaling pathway and cartilage decomposition.