Effectiveness of Bushen Huoxue Granule (补肾活血颗粒) on 5-serotonin and norepinephrine in the brain of Parkinson's disease patients with depressive state.

Objective: To observe the clinical curative effect of Chinese medicine Bushen Huoxue Granule(补肾活血颗粒, BHG) on Parkinson's disease (PD) patients with depressive state. Methods: Sixty-two PD patients with depressive state were randomly assigned to two groups by using a random number table, 31 in each group. Madopar was given to all as the conventional treatment. The fluoxetine hydrochloride dispersible tablet was given to the patients in the control group and BHG was given to those in the treatment group. The therapeutic course for all was 12 weeks. Before and after treatment, Hamilton depression rating scale (HAMD) was applied to judge the curative effect, and the changes of cerebral neurotransmitters levels in the brain of patients were detected by encephalofluctuograph technique. Results: The scores of HAMD in the two groups were decreased markedly after 12-week treatment. It was lower in the treatment group than that in the control group with significant difference ( P<0.01). The contents of norepinephrine (NE) and 5-serotonin (5-HT) in the PD patients were obviously lower than normal value. There was no significant difference between the two groups before treatment ( P>0.05). The contents of NE and 5-HT were all increased in the two groups after treatment ( P<0.05), with significant differences between the two groups ( P<0.01). Conclusion: BHG could increase the contents of NE and 5-HT in PD patients' brain to improve the depressive state of PD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]