Table 3 Anti-fibrosis effect of combinations of single compound and formulae or Chinese medicines and conventional medicines
From: Chinese medicines as a resource for liver fibrosis treatment
Combination of drugs and major references | Clinical indications and pharmacological actions or side effects |
|---|---|
ITF-α. injection + glycyrrhizin (Stronger Neo Minophagen C) injection [109] | CHC patients. With IFN therapy, ALT levels did not decrease more than 50%, while with IFN combined with SNMC therapy, ALT levels decreased approximately 70% in all patients (one became normal), but no other parameters were changed. |
Ursodeoxycholic acid P.O + glycyrrhizin P.O [110] | CHC patients belong to interferon-resistant or unstable patients. Improving liver-specific enzyme abnormalities: AST, ALT and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase, no change HCV-related factors or liver histology compared with control. |
Matrine injection + Xiao Chaihu Tang P.O [111] | Liver fibrosis patients. Combination therapy improves AST, ALT and reduces HA, LN, CIV, TGF-β1 and TNF-α. |
IFN-γ or IFN-α. injection + Xiao Chaihu Tang (Sho-saiko-to) P.O [112–115] | CHB patients. Combination therapy improves AST, ALT, Tbil and has synergistic anti-fibrosis in biochemical parameters, but IFN and/or Sho-saiko-to may also induce acute interstitial pneumonitis. |
Tiopronin P.O + Xiao Chaihu Tang P.O [116] | CHB patients. Synergistic effects in improving liver functions and fibrotic factors. |
Lamivudine + Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae [117] | CHB patients. Treatment with both drugs was better than one and more effective than the control group in parameters of liver function and liver fibrosis. |
Bushen Granule (BSG) P.O + Marine Injection (MI) [118] | CHB patients. Combined treatment of BSG and MI was better than Lamivudine group in one year therapeutical course. |