Effect of Qingshen Granules on inflammation/hepcidin axis and iron metabolism in patients with renal anemia: a single-center, randomized controlled trial

Abstract

To evaluate the therapeutic effect of Qingshen Granules on renal anemia in patients with damp-heat syndrome and explore the mechanisms in light of inflammation/hepcidin axis and iron metabolism. Sixty patients with renal anemia and dampness-heat syndrome were randomized into control group (n=30) and treatment group (n=30). All the patients were given routine treatment, and the patients in the treatment group received additional treatment with Qingshen Granules (3 times a day). After 12 weeks of treatments, the patients were examined for changes in the integral value of TCM syndrome, serum creatinine (Scr), glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), hemoglobin (HGB), hematocrit (HCT), red blood cell (RBC) count, interleukin-6 (IL-6), hypersensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), ferritin, growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15), serum iron (SI), total iron binding capacity (TIBC), transferrin saturation (TAST), soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR) and ferritin levels. After the treatment, the scores of TCM syndrome were significantly improved in the treatment group and were better than those in the control group (P=0.000). Scr and eGFR were improved in both groups after the treatment. The levels of HGB, HCT and RBC were all improved in the two groups after treatment, and the improvements were more obvious in the treatment group (P=0.002, 0.002, and 0.017, respectively). The levels of IL-6, hs-CRP, hepcidine and GDF-15 were all lowered in the two groups after the treatment, and they were all significantly lower in the treatment group than in the control group (all P=0.000). The treatments increased the levels of SI and TAST in both of the groups, and compared with those in control group, the levels of TIBC, sTfR and ferritin were significantly lowered in the treatment group after the 12-week treatment (P=0.000). Qingshen granules can effectively improve renal anemia in patients with damp-heat syndrome possibly by improving iron metabolism through alleviation of inflammation and reduction of hepcidine level.