Clinical efficacy of Jiawei Duhuo Jisheng Mixture combined with extracorporeal shock wave therapy on patients with lumbar disc herniation and its effects on NF-κB signaling pathway
Objective To observe the clinical efficacy of Jiawei Duhuo Jisheng Mixture(JWDHJSM)combined with extracorp-oreal shock wave therapy(ESWT)on lumbar disc herniation(LDH)of cold dampness impediment pattern,as well as its effects on NF-κB signaling pathway.Methods Sixty-eight LDH patients with cold-dampness impediment pattern in the First Hospital of Hunan University of Chinese Medicine were randomly divided into experimental group and control group according to the order of enrollment,with 34 cases in each group.The control group was treated with ESWT,while the experimental group was treated with JWDHJSM on the basis of ESWT.Both groups were treated for two weeks.The visual analogue scale(VAS)scores,Oswestry Disability Index(ODI)scores,and Japanese Orthopaedic Association(JOA)scores were used to evaluate the efficacy of the two groups.ELISA was used to examine the expression levels of serum NF-κB signaling pathway indicators(p50,p65),interleukin-8(IL-8),interleukin-10(IL-10),and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)before and after treatment.Results After treatment,the levels of NF-κB signaling pathway indicators(p50,p65),IL-8,and TNF-α in both groups were lower than those before treatment(P<0.01),while IL-10 increased significantly(P<0.01).The JOA scores and ODI scores of both groups were significantly improved compared with those before treatment(P<0.01),and the effects of experimental group were better than those of the control group(P<0.01).There was no significant difference in VAS scores between the two groups(P>0.05).Conclusion JWDHJSM combined with ESWT for LDH may affect the expression of downstream inflammatory factors by inhibiting the activation of NF-κB signaling pathway,thereby reducing abnormal inflammatory responses of LDH patients and improving lumbar function.