The effect of the Chinese medical herb decoction qu yin tang combined with ultraviolet B phototherapy on psoriasis vulgaris, and the influence on osteopontin and vascular endothelial growth factor in serum

Objective To observe the therapeutic efficacy of the Chinese medical herb decoction qu yin tang combined with narrow-band ultraviolet B (NB-UVB) phototherapy on psoriasis vulgaris, and to investigate its influ-ence on osteopontin (OPN) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in serum. Methods Sixty patients with psoriasis were randomly divided into a treatment group and a control group. The treatment group was treated with qu yin tang and NB-UVB; the control group was treated with qu yin tang only. The levels of OPN and VEGF in serum were detected in both groups before and after treatment using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Twenty healthy persons' serum samples were taken as controls. At the same time, any changes in psoriasis area and severity index (PASI) scores in the two groups were recorded and compared. Results After 8 weeks of treatment, PASI scores and levels of OPN and VEGF had been reduced significantly in both groups, and there was a significant difference between the treatment group and the control group. Conclusions Chinese medical herbs combined with NB-UVB phototherapy is a safe and effective method for the treatment of psoriasis. The results suggested that OPN and VEGF may play an important role in the pathogenesis of psoirasis vulgaris. Key words: Psoriasis vulgris; Narrow-band ultraviolet B; Chinese medical herbs decoction; Osteopon-tin; Vascular endothelial growth factor