Tao Geyang, Balunas Marcy J
Division of Medicinal Chemistry, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA.
Division of Medicinal Chemistry, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA.
J Ethnopharmacol. 2016 Apr 22;182:170-80. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2016.02.012. Epub 2016 Feb 10.
Scutellaria barbata is a common herb in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) most often used to treat cancer. S. barbata has been found to exhibit efficacy both in vitro and in vivo on a variety of cancer types. Similarly encouraging results have been shown in patients with metastatic breast cancer from Phase Ia and Ib clinical trials. This study aims to elucidate the current use of S. barbata by TCM practitioners and in current Western research.
Semi-structured interviews were conducted with fifteen TCM practitioners in Beijing and Nanjing, China to understand their clinical use of S. barbata. Practitioners were also asked to comment on the future development of TCM using Western research methods and the potential for integration of the two types of medicine in clinical therapy. Statistical analyses were conducted to compare use of S. barbata by disease and in conjunction with other herbs.
Current Western research related to S. barbata is focused on cancer treatment, which corresponds to the most common use of S. barbata by TCM practitioners. Other common uses that practitioners reported included infection and inflammation, for which Beijing practitioners reported use of S. barbata more often than Nanjing practitioners (p<0.05). Hedyotis diffusa was found to be the most commonly cited herb to pair with S. barbata for cancer treatment (p<0.05). When compared to Western clinical trials of BZL101, an S. barbata extract, TCM practitioners reported using smaller doses of S. barbata in shorter durations, in combination with numerous other herbs with the goal to potentiate therapeutic efficacy and mitigate side effects. In addition, TCM practitioners repeatedly emphasized symptom differentiating as the key to achieving maximum therapeutic potential of S. barbata, a factor typically overlooked in Western research.
Similarities and differences in diagnosis and treatment regimens between TCM practitioners and Western research have the potential to shed light on possible new avenues of research. Additional research may prove beneficial on possible synergistic effects of herbs commonly used with S. barbata, such as Hedyotis diffusa and Lobelia chinensis.
半枝莲是传统中药中常用的一种草药，最常用于治疗癌症。已发现半枝莲在体外和体内对多种癌症类型均显示出疗效。在Ia期和Ib期临床试验中，转移性乳腺癌患者也取得了类似令人鼓舞的结果。本研究旨在阐明中医从业者目前对半枝莲的使用情况以及当前西方研究中的使用情况。
对中国北京和南京的15名中医从业者进行了半结构式访谈，以了解他们对半枝莲的临床使用情况。还要求从业者对使用西方研究方法的中医未来发展以及两种医学在临床治疗中的整合潜力发表意见。进行了统计分析，以比较半枝莲在不同疾病中的使用情况以及与其他草药联合使用的情况。
目前西方对半枝莲的研究集中在癌症治疗上，这与中医从业者对半枝莲最常见的用途一致。从业者报告的其他常见用途包括感染和炎症，北京的从业者报告使用半枝莲的频率高于南京的从业者（p<0.05）。发现白花蛇舌草是与半枝莲联合用于癌症治疗时最常被提及的草药（p<0.05）。与半枝莲提取物BZL101的西方临床试验相比，中医从业者报告使用半枝莲的剂量更小、疗程更短，并与多种其他草药联合使用，目的是增强治疗效果并减轻副作用。此外，中医从业者反复强调辨证是发挥半枝莲最大治疗潜力的关键，而这一因素在西方研究中通常被忽视。
中医从业者与西方研究在诊断和治疗方案上的异同可能为新的研究途径提供线索。关于与半枝莲常用的草药（如白花蛇舌草和半边莲）可能的协同作用的进一步研究可能会有所帮助。
