Bear Bile Powder Suppresses The Increase Of Il-8 And Improves Liver Function Post Transcatheter Arterial Chemoembolization In Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients

Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE), the main therapeutic method for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), may induce the release of a large number of proinflammatory cytokines, which may promote tumor recurrence and metastasis and angiogenesis. We therefore investigated the effect of bear bile powder (BBP) on TACE-induced proinflammatory cytokines in HCC patient. A total of 107 cases aged from 18 to 80 years were enrolled, and were randomly assigned into control or BBP groups, with 56 cases in control group and 51 cases in BBP group. Drugs were initially administered 1 day before TACE and were withdrawn on the 5th day after TACE. CRP, IL-6, and IL-8 levels significantly increased on the 3rd and 5th days post TACE. BBP treatment significantly reduced the IL-8 level on the 5th day post TACE, but showed little effect on the elevation of CRP and IL-6. TNF alpha levels were not significantly increased in the two groups on the 3rd and 5th days after TACE. However, BBP significantly decreased the TNF alpha level compared with control. BBP also significantly improved the AST level and AST/ALT ratio post TACE. In conclusion, our study suggests that BBP is able to decrease elevation of IL-8 and improve liver function post TACE in HCC patients. Therefore, the results indicate that BBP may probably improve the prognosis of HCC patient undergoing TACE.