Abstract: Objective To investigate the effect of Gushang No. 1 on the levels of serum tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interleukin (IL)-1β in patients with acute ankle sprain. Methods From September 2016 to September 2021, 106 patients with acute ankle sprain who were diagnosed and treated in Yangzhou Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jiangsu Province were retrospectively selected as the research objects, and they were divided into the observation group and the traditional group with 53 cases in each group according to the treatment methods. The traditional group was given massage therapy, and the observation group was given local hot compress on Gushang No. 1 on the basis of the treatment of the traditional group. The two groups were treated and observed for 20 d. The curative effects, pain scores, serum TNF-α, IL-1β, VEGF, PDGF levels before and after treatment, and the excellent and good rate of ankle joint function were observed in the 5-month follow-up. Results The total effective rate after treatment in the observation group was 98.11%, which was higher than 86.79% in the traditional group, but there was no statistical significance after comparison (P>0.05). The pain VAS scores in the the observation group and traditional group after treatment were significantly lower than those before treatment (P<0.05), and the observation group was also significantly lower than that in the traditional group (P<0.05). The levels of serum TNF-α and IL-1β in the the observation group and traditional group after treatment were significantly lower than those before treatment (P<0.05), and the observation group was also significantly lower than that in the traditional group (P<0.05). The levels of serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and platelet derived growth factor (PDGF) in the the observation group and traditional group after treatment were significantly higher than those before treatment (P<0.05), and the observation group was also significantly higher than the traditional group group (P<0.05). After 5 months of follow-up, the excellent and good rates of ankle function in the observation group and the traditional group were 98.11% and 83.02%, respectively, and the observation group was significantly higher than the traditional group (P<0.05). Conclusion Gushang No. 1 in the treatment of acute ankle sprain can promote the secretion of VEGF and PDGF, and can also inhibit the release of serum TNF-α and IL-1β. It has good short-term and long-term effects, and can also promote sustained pain relief.

Key words: Gushang No. 1, acute ankle sprain, tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-1β, vascular endothelial growth factor, platelet-derived growth factor