OBJECTIVE  To observe the effects of Jingling granules on the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome score, arterial elasticity and morphological function, blood lipids, blood rheology, as well as serum inflammatory factors in patients with atherosclerosis of qi-yin deficiency and phlegm-blood stasis.

  METHODS  A total of 100 patients with atherosclerosis who met the inclusion criteria were randomly divided into control group and experimental group, 50 patients in each group. The control group was treated with atorvastatin, while the experimental group was administered with Jingling granules based on the treatment of the control group. The changes in the two groups were compared in terms of the TCM syndrome score, carotid intima-media thickness (IMT), ultrafast pulse wave velocity (UFPWV) indexes pulse wave velocity-beginning of systole (PWV-BS), pulse wave velocity-end of systole (PWV-BS), pulse wave velocity-end of systole (PWV-ES), blood lipids, blood rheological indexes (whole blood high shear viscosity, whole blood medium shear viscosity, whole blood low shear viscosity, plasma viscosity), serum inflammatory factors C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-8 (IL-8), as well as the liver and kidney function.

  RESULTS  After treatment, the TCM syndrome scores of the two groups were significantly reduced (P < 0. 01), but the result of the experiment group was better than that of the control group (P < 0.01). The bilateral carotid PWV-BS and PWV-ES of the experiment group were reduced (P < 0.01), and the bilateral carotid PWV-ES and left carotid PWV-BS of the control group were reduced (P < 0.05), but the change of the right carotid PWV-ES of the experiment group was better than that of the control group (P < 0.05). The levels of TC, TG and LDL-C showed better results in both groups (P < 0.01), while the change of TC level was better in the experiment group than in the control group (P < 0.01). Besides, the levels of whole blood medium shear viscosity and whole blood low shear viscosity, as well as plasma viscosity were reduced in both groups (P < 0.05), but the change of whole blood low shear viscosity showed better result in the experiment group than in the control group (P < 0.05). In addition, the levels of serum CRP, IL-6 and IL-8 were reduced in the experiment group (P < 0.05), and the levels of IL-6 and IL-8 were reduced in the control group (P < 0.05). However, the changes of CRP levels in the experiment group were better than those in the control group (P < 0.05). No significant adverse reactions were observed in both groups during the treatment.

  CONCLUSIONS  Jingling granules, combined with atorvastatin, can achieve the better clinical efficacy in treating patients with atherosclerosis of qi-yin deficiency and phlegm-blood stasis, in terms of the TCM syndrome scores, vascular elasticity, TC, TG, LDL-C levels, inflammatory factors CRP, IL-6, IL-8 levels, the levels of whole blood medium shear viscosity, whole blood low shear viscosity, and plasma viscosity.