Comparison of PSORI-CM01 granules and Yinxieling tablets for patients with chronic plaque psoriasis: a pilot study for a randomized, double-blinded, double-dummy, multicentre trial.

BACKGROUND: To compare the efficacy and safety of PSORI-CM01 granules with Yinxieling tablets in patients with chronic plaque psoriasis (CPP), we plan to conduct a multicentre, randomized, double-blinded, double-dummy, controlled trial. This pilot study was conducted to determine the feasibility and the potential of the protocol for the full-scale randomized controlled trial (RCT). METHODS: This pilot study was conducted in three centers, and compared PSORI-CM01 granules with Yinxieling tablets in patients with CPP during a 12-week treatment and 3-month follow-up period. The primary efficacy endpoint was the decrease of the psoriasis area severity index (PASI) at week 12. The secondary outcome measures included reduction rates of PASI, pruritus scores on the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), body surface area (BSA), and the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI). Safety was assessed via the incidence of adverse events (AEs) in each treatment group. RESULTS: A total of 211 patients were screened, and 63 subjects who met the inclusion criteria were randomised to PSORI-CM01 granule group (N=31) or Yinxieling tablets group (N=32) while 39 subjects finished the study. The primary outcome measure showed a mean decrease of PASI of 2.03 in the PSORICM01 group compared to 0.89 in the Yinxieling group at week 12. Except for the VAS score (t=-2.261, P=0.027), the secondary outcomes showed no significant improvement from baseline in both groups at week 12. No safety or tolerability concerns related to the drugs were observed in either group. CONCLUSIONS: This pilot study showed that the RCT is feasible for randomization, patient recruitment, and assessment. Major strategies are necessary to reduce the patient dropout rate before conducting the full RCT. In this pilot study, the PSORI-CM01 granule exhibited greater potential for development compared to its original formula (Yinxieling tablets) for the treatment of CPP.

Metabonomics Study on Serum Characteristic Metabolites of Psoriasis Vulgaris Patients With Blood-Stasis Syndrome.

Psoriasis is a chronic, refractory, systemic inflammatory skin disease. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) shows unique advantage in the treatment of psoriasis based on syndrome differentiation. An untargeted high-throughput metabonomics method based on liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry was applied to study the serum metabolic characteristics in different TCM syndrome types in patients with psoriasis vulgaris (PV), and to discover potential serum biomarkers for its pathogenesis on the endogenous metabolite differentiation basis. The serum metabolic profiles of 45 healthy controls and 124 patients with PV (50 in the blood-stasis group, 30 in the blood-heat group, and 44 in the blood-dryness group) were acquired. The raw spectrometric data were processed using multivariate statistical analysis, and 14 biomarkers related to TCM syndrome differentiation and psoriasis types were screened and identified. The blood-stasis syndrome group showed abnormal lipid metabolism, which was characterized by a low level of phosphatidylcholine (PC) and a high level of lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC). We propose that platelet-activating factor can be applied as a potential biomarker in clinical diagnosis and differentiation of PV with blood-stasis syndrome. The difference in the serum metabolites among PV types with different TCM syndromes and healthy control group illustrated the objective material basis in TCM syndrome differentiation and classification of psoriasis.

Oral PSORI-CM01, a Chinese herbal formula, plus topical sequential therapy for moderate-to-severe psoriasis vulgaris: pilot study for a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: To provide evidence that the Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) PSORI-CM01 combined with Western medicine reduces the relapse rate of psoriasis vulgaris (PV), we plan to conduct a large-scale randomized control trial (RCT). In order to improve and perfect the RCT, this pilot study was designed to determine the feasibility and the potential of a modified protocol for the full-scale RCT. METHODS: Eligible patients with psoriasis vulgaris (PV) were enrolled into a randomized comparison in which all subjects received topical sequential therapy and PSORI-CM01 or placebo for 12 weeks. The primary outcome measure was the relapse rate. Treatment response was computed from Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI), body surface area (BSA), and Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI). The secondary outcome measures included time to relapse, time to onset, rebound rate, PASI score, pruritus scores on the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), BSA, DLQI and SF-36 (short form health survey), and incidence of serious adverse events (SAEs). RESULTS: Six of 7 (86 %) subjects reached the PASI-50 in the CHM group compared with nine of 10 (90 %) in the placebo group during the treatment period. Among the subjects who reached PASI-50, one out of six subjects (17 %) relapsed in the CHM group during the treatment period compared with six out of nine patients in the placebo group (67 %). No subjects met the rebound criteria. Changes to baseline in the PASI scores were not significantly different between the two groups (t = 1.764, P = 0.098). CONCLUSION: Oral PSORI-CM01 combined with topical sequential treatment showed a smaller recurrence rate (P = 0.118) than placebo combined with the same topical therapy for moderate-to-severe PV in this pilot study. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ( http://www.chictr.org.cn/searchproj.aspx ) ChiCTR-TRC-13003233 ; date of registration: 15 April 2013.

Chinese medicine combined with calcipotriol betamethasone and calcipotriol ointment for Psoriasis vulgaris (CMCBCOP): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Psoriasis causes worldwide concern because of its high-prevalence, as well as its harmful, and incurable characteristics. Topical therapy is a conventional treatment for psoriasis vulgaris. Chinese medicine (CM) has been commonly used in an integrative way for psoriasis patients for many years. Some CM therapies have shown therapeutic effects for psoriasis vulgaris (PV), including relieving symptoms and improving quality of life, and may reduce the relapse rate. However, explicit evidence has not yet been obtained. The purpose of the present trial is to examine the efficacy and safety of the YXBCM01 granule, a compound Chinese herbal medicine, with a combination of topical therapy for PV patients. METHODS/DESIGN: Using an add-on design, the trial is to evaluate whether the YXBCM01 granule combined topical therapy is more effective than topical therapy alone for the treatment of PV. The study design is a double-blind, parallel, randomized controlled trial comparing the YXBCM01 granule (5.5 g twice daily) to a placebo. The duration of treatment is 12 weeks. A total of 600 participants will be randomly allocated into two groups, YXBCM01 granule group and placebo group, from 11 general or dermatological hospitals in China. Topical use of calcipotriol betamethasone for the first 4 weeks and calcipotriol ointment for the remaining 8 weeks will be the same standard therapy for the two groups. Patients will be enrolled if they have a clinical diagnosis of PV, a psoriasis area severe index (PASI) of more than 10 or body surface area (BSA) of more than 10%, but PASI of less than 30 and BSA of less than 30%, are aged between 18 and 65-years-old, and provide signed informed consent. The primary outcome, relapse rate, is based on PASI assessed blindly during the treatment. Secondary outcomes include: (i) relapse time interval, (ii) time to onset, (iii) rebound rate, (iv) PASI score, (v) cumulative consumption of medicine, (vi) the dermatology quality life index (DLQI), and (vii) the medical outcomes study (MOS) item short form health survey (SF-36). Analysis will be on intention-to-treat and per-protocol subject analysis principles. DISCUSSION: To address the effectual remission of the YXBCM01 granule for PV, this trial may provide a novel regimen for PV patients if the granule can decrease relapse rate without more adverse effects. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (http://cwww.chictr.org): ChiCTR-TRC-13003233, registered 26 May 2013.