Treatment of Yunnan Baiyao plus Kangfuxin Solution Reduces Inflammatory Response and Prevents Patients with Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma against Radiation-Induced Oral Mucositis

Abstract

Oral mucositis refers to secondary mucosal damage, which usually occurs during cancer treatment. Generally, patients with head and neck cancers receiving radiotherapy will develop mucositis. Oral mucositis usually begins with mucosal inflammation and is characterized by erythema and confluent ulcers. The purpose of the study is to explore the therapeutic effects of Yunnan Baiyao combined with Kangfuxin solution on radiation-induced oral mucositis and the influence on production of inflammatory factors in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) after radiotherapy. Clinical variables of 90 NPC patients were retrospectively analyzed. All patients underwent combined treatment (normal saline and inhalation of dexamethasone, gentamicin, and vitamin B12) 1st after radiotherapy, among which 45 patients received additional treatment of Yunnan Baiyao plus Kangfuxin solution and assigned as the study group. We found that additional treatment of Yunnan Baiyao plus Kangfuxin solution remarkably attenuated pain and dry mouth and reduced the degree of mucosal hyperaemia, edema, and ulceration in NPC patients undergoing radiotherapy ( $P<0.05$ ). It was also found that additional treatment of Yunnan Baiyao plus Kangfuxin solution notably inhibited the release of inflammatory factors and cancer-related markers, as evidenced by lower serum levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1 (IL-1), matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), serum hypoxia-inducible factor-1 α (HIF-1α), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) detected in the study group than the control group ( $P<0.05$ ). Additionally, the numbers of CD+3 and CD+4 subpopulations of T lymphocytes and the ratio of CD+4/CD+8 in the study group were significantly higher than those in the control group ( $P<0.05$ ), and the number of CD+8 subpopulations in the study group was significantly lower than those in the control group ( $P<0.05$ ). In conclusion, these results indicated that additional treatment of Yunnan Baiyao plus Kangfuxin solution reduces inflammatory response and prevents patients with NPC against radiation-induced oral mucositis.