2007年3月7日
碧萝芷®可以明显减轻子宫内膜炎
Pycnogenol® Significantly Reduces Endometriosis

        碧萝芷®可将症状减缓33%
        Pycnogenol® Reduces Symptoms by 33 Percen

        这个消息给那些患有子宫内膜炎的女性们带来了希望。子宫内膜炎是导致不孕症的主要因素，同时还会带来骨盆疼痛。即将在最新一期生殖医药杂志上发表的文章中介绍到，提取自法国沿海松树皮的提取物碧萝芷®可以将子宫内膜炎的症状降低33%。
        There’s promising hope for women who suffer from endometriosis, one of the most common causes of infertility and pelvic pain. A new study to be published in an upcoming edition of the Journal of Reproductive Medicine reveals that Pycnogenol® (pic-noj-en-all), an antioxidant plant extract from the bark of the French maritime pine tree, significantly reduces symptoms of endometriosis by 33 percent.

        碧萝芷®已经获得了减轻经前不适症和痛经的专利，此次选择碧萝芷®做治疗子宫内膜炎的实验是因为碧萝芷®不会像其他的药物一样给受实验者带来副作用。“子宫内膜炎的致病原因尚不清楚，但是到目前为止还没有能够完全治愈这一病症的治疗方法，”此项试验的主要负责人Takafumi Kohama博士说。“常用的荷尔蒙疗法，如促性腺激素-释放荷尔蒙介质（Gn-RHa），会在治疗期间限制女性的怀孕。另外一种药物Danazol会带来子宫功能不全、骨质疏松和肥胖副作用。我们的实验结果证明，碧萝芷®是一种能够有效治疗子宫内膜炎同时不会带来副作用的治疗方法。”
        Pycnogenol®, which holds a patent for reducing PMS/menstrual pain and discomfort, was chosen for this study because other endometriosis treatments can have unwanted side effects. "The cause of endometriosis is unknown and treatment to fully cure endometriosis has yet to be developed," said Dr. Takafumi Kohama, a lead researcher of the study. "Common hormone treatments such as gonadotropin-releasing hormone agents (Gn-RHa) may likely restrict women from becoming pregnant during treatment. Danazol, another hormone treatment, produces side effects such as ovarian deficiency, osteoporosis and obesity. Our results convey Pycnogenol® as an extremely effective natural treatment without dangerous side effects," he said.

        在日本Ishokawa的Kanazawa大学医学院进行的实验，共有58位年龄在21-38岁病在实验6个月之前做过子宫内膜炎手术的女性参加。实验开始前3个月对病人进行月经周期和排卵周期的统计，实验开始后的第4、12、24和48周检查治疗对症状（疼痛、泌尿系统和肠道系统症状、血量）的改善情况。疼痛程度的判断主要来源于患者自己的感受和实验人员的问询以及妇科检查的结果。
        The study, held at Kanazawa University School of Medicine, Ishokawa, Japan, sampled 58 women ages 21–38 who underwent operations for endometriosis within six months prior to the study. After confirming regular menstruation and ovulation for three months before treatment, patients were examined before and at 4,12, 24 and 48 weeks after treatment began to check for symptom control (pain, urinary and bowel symptom, breakthrough bleeding). Pain was evaluated by patients’ self-assessment and an investigator interviewed and performed a gynecologic examination.

        患者被随机分为两个组：碧萝芷®组和Gn-RHa组。碧萝芷®组的患者连续48周每日在早餐和晚餐后立即分别服用30毫克的碧萝芷®胶囊。Gn-RHa治疗组连续24周每4周注射6次皮下注射3.75mg leuprorelin acetate制剂。（使用Leuprorelin治疗会完全阻断患者自身的雌激素分泌，因此治疗必须控制在24周之内。）
        Patients were randomized to two groups: Pycnogenol® and Gn-RHa. Patients who supplemented with Pycnogenol? took 30 mg capsules orally twice daily for 48 weeks immediately after morning and evening meals. Patients who received the Gn-RHa therapy received injected leuprorelin acetate depot, 3.75 mg intracutaneously, six times every four weeks for 24 weeks. (Leuprorelin treatment completely blocks estrogen in the body and must be discontinued after 24 weeks because of side effects).

        在实验开始时，两个实验组没有任何差距，都有强烈的疼痛感、骨盆敏感以及骨盆硬化。治疗4周之后，碧萝芷®缓慢但是稳定地将各种症状从严重减轻到了中度。Gn-RHa治疗组的在24周的时间内很快的减轻了各项症状，但是在治疗结束后，各项症状又出现了复发。
        Both treatment groups showed no differences at start of treatment and reported severe pain, pelvic tenderness and pelvic indurations. After four weeks, Pycnogenol® slowly but steadily reduced all symptoms from severe to moderate. Treatment with Gn-RHa reduced the scores more efficiently but after 24 weeks post-treatment a relapse of symptoms occurred.

        “与实验前的预想情况一致，使用Gn-RHa治疗抑制了患者的月经周期，而使用碧萝芷®治疗则没有对患者的月经周期产生任何影响。Gn-RHa严重的削弱了雌激素水平，而接受碧萝芷®治疗的患者的雌激素水平在观察其内没有出现明显的改变，”Kohama博士说。“除此之外，在实验期间，碧萝芷®组中有5名女性怀孕了。
        "As expected, Gn-RHa suppressed menstruation during treatment, whereas no influence on menstrual cycles was observed in the Pycnogenol® group. Gn-RHa lowered estrogen levels drastically and in contrast, the estrogen levels of the Pycnogenol® group showed no systematic changes over the observation period," said Dr. Kohama. "In addition, five women in the trial taking Pycnogenol® actually got pregnant," he said.

        在连续使用Gn-RHa两周之后，患者的雌激素分泌就停止了，子宫内膜接收不到雌激素就会变得不活跃并开始退化。绝大部分女性在实验两个月内经血就会停止，而恢复的排卵和月经的周期所需的时间则根据不同受体各不相同。
        When Gn-RHa is used continuously for more than two weeks, the production of oestrogen stops, depriving the endometrial implants of oestrogen, causing them to become inactive and degenerate. Most women will stop bleeding within 2 months of starting treatment and return of ovulation and menstruation varies.

        育龄女性会受到子宫内膜炎的影响，据估算，美国有100万以上的女性患有子宫内膜炎。这也是女性需要接受子宫切除手术和腹腔镜检查的主要原因。子宫内膜炎的主要患病人群的年龄在25-30岁之间，但是也有报道有11岁的女孩子患有这一疾病。
        Endometriosis affects women in their reproductive years and is estimated to affect over one million women in the United States. It is one of the common reasons women have to undergo hysterectomies and laparoscopic surgery. The average diagnostic age is 25–30, however endometriosis has been reported in girls as young as eleven years of age.

        多项极具意义的实验证实了碧萝芷®可以治疗经期出现的常见的疾病，如月经困难、痛经和子宫内膜炎。实验证明碧萝芷®可以减轻子宫内膜炎引起的腹部疼痛。实验表明，连续一个月每天服用30毫克碧萝芷®可以消除包括子宫内膜炎患者在内的女性患者的经期痉挛，并将疼痛感减轻73%。在欧洲药物研究通讯上发表的实验文章在中写到，接受碧萝芷®治疗后，80%受实验者由子宫内膜炎引起的腹部疼痛得到了减轻，77%受实验者的痉挛消失了。
        There have been significant studies with Pycnogenol® revealing treatment efficacy of common problems associated with menstruation, such as dysmenorrhea, menstrual pain and endometriosis. Research has shown a reduction in abdominal pain due to endometriosis. Studies have shown a clear improvement in terms of reduction of menstrual cramps and pain in 73% of women following administration of 30 mg Pycnogenol® day for one month, in addition to those with endometriosis. Abdominal pain due to endometriosis was reduced in 80% of the patients and cramps disappeared in 77% of the women taking Pycnogenol® according to a study published in the European Bulletin of Drug Research.