The effect of integrated traditional and western medicine therapy on placenta vascular endothelial growth factor ex-pression in intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy.

ZHANG Hai-ying; LIN Li; HU Bi-yun; SU Fang-ruing

Abstract：Objective To investigate the effect of integrated traditional and western medicine therapy on placenta VEGF expres-sion in ICP Methods 48 ICP cases with gestational age lower than 37 weeks between Jan,2006 and Dec. 2008 in the Second School of Clinical Medicine of Jinan University were enrolled. 20 of them, western medicine group, were treated with dexam-ethasone; the other 28 cases, the integrated group, were treated with the combination of herbal medicine and dexarnethasone.Another 24 ICP cases that were admitted and delivered immediately during the same period were defined as untreated group. 20 normal term labor cases were enrolled as normal controls. The biochemical markers before and after the treatment were recor-ded. The perinatal outcomes and the expression level of VEGF in placentas among groups were analyzed. Results The con-centration of total bile acid, glycocholic acid and alaninc aminotransferase in the integrated group significantly decreased after treatment (P<0.05).The incidences of meconium-stained amniotic fluid, fetal distress and pretenn labor were 7. 1%, 3.6% and 10. 7% in the integrated ones, which were significantly lower than those in the untreated group which were 33. 3%, 29. 2% and 41.7% correspondently(P <0.05). As for the western medicine group, only the total bile acid dropped a bit after the treatment but the perinatal outcome was similar to the untreated ones( P >0. 05). 40% of them ended up in preterm labor,which was much higher than the integrated group ( P < 0. 05 ). The expression level of placenta VEGF in the integrated group (3.41 ±0. 58)score were higher than those in the western medicine ones(2. 51±0. 44) score and the untreated group(2. 28 ±0. 66)score but lower than those in the control group(4. 16 ±0. 92)score (P < 0. 05 ). Conclusion The integrated traditional and western medicine therapy can greatly improve biochemical markers in ICP patients and perinatal outcomes. This may be ex-plained by its effect of increasing expression level of placenta VEGF.