Abstract: Objective To observe the clinical effect of Sanhuang liniment made in hospital on the treatment of chronic eczema and its influence on serum levels of IL-4, ECP, TNF-2α and sIL-2R. Methods A total of 86 outpatients of dermatology with chronic eczema were divided into controls of the group （n=43） and the observation （n=43）. Patients of the control were orally given cetirizine hydrochloride tablets as routine treatment whereas those of the observation received cetirizine hydrochloride combined with Sanhuang liniment （a Traditional Chinese Medicine） for four weeks. Clinical manifestations such as skin itching, grease, corneous layer water content, trans-epidermal water loss as well as immune indicators were evaluated. Serum IL-4, ECP, TNF-2α and sIL-2R were measured by ELISA before and after the treatments. Results A high efficacy of 90.70% was observed when the treatment was combined with Sanhuang liniment （P<0.05）. Skin pruritus and severity and itching scores were significantly ameliorated and the skin barrier function indexes were remarkably increased in the observation group （P<0.05）. Additionally, the serum cytokine levels of IL-4, ECP, TNF-2α and sIL-2R were inhibited in the group of combination with the liniment （P<0.05）. Conclusion The hospital-made Sanhuang liniment has a potential in enhancement effect on chronic eczema in underlying routine therapy, and the possible mechanism might be involved in improvement of skin barrier function.

Key words: Chronic eczema, Sanhuang liniment, Cytokines