Effect of Zelen' s Guige Lingxian Decoction Combined with Moxibustion at Neck Jiaji Acupoint in Treatment of Cervical Spondylotic radiculopathy of Wind-cold-dampness Arthralgia Syndrome / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To investigate the clinical efficacy and mechanism of Guige Lingxian decoction combined with moxibustion at neck Jiaji acupoint on cervical spondylotic radiculopathy (CSR) of wind-cold-dampness arthralgia syndrome. Method:Totally 120 cases of cervical spondylotic radiculopathy with wind-cold-dampness syndrome were randomly divided into two groups traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) group and combination group, with 60 cases in each group. The TCM group was treated with Guige Lingxian Tang 150 mL/time, twice a day. The combination group was treated with moxibustion at neck Jiaji acupoint in addition to the therapy of the TCM group, 30 minutes/time, once a day. Both groups were treated for 8 weeks. CSR 20 subscale score, SF-36 scale score, typical symptoms and signs remission time were recorded. The total effective rate and the cure rate were recorded after treatment. Serum levels of leukotriene B4(LTB4), leukotriene C4(LTC4), leukotriene D4 (LTD4), chitinase protein 40 (YKL-40), interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) before and after treatment. Result:The total effective rate was 98.11%(52/53), and the cure rate was 43.39%(23/53) in the combination group, which were higher than 91.04%(61/67) and 20.89%(14/67) in the TCM group (P<0.05). Compared with the TCM group, the scores of CSR 20 subscale and SF-36 scale in combination group were increased (P<0.05), and the remission time of typical symptoms and signs was shortened. Serum levels of LTB4, LTC4, LTD4, YKL-40, IL-1β and TNF-α were decreased (P<0.05). Conclusion:Moxibustion at neck Jiaji acupoint combined with Guige Lingxian decoction is effective in treating CSR of wind-cold-dampness arthralgia syndrome, which is worthy of clinical promotion. Its mechanism may be related to the inhibition of the expression of LT, and the reduction of the content of IL-1β and TNF-α in serum, thus promoting the repair of cervical cartilage and increasing the pain threshold.