The efficacy of Allium ampeloprasum L. in reducing neutrophil recovery time in childhood cancer with febrile neutropenia: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Mohammadreza Bordbar; Mehdi Vahidifar; Mohammad Mehdi Zarshenas; Sezaneh Haghpanah; Soheila Zareifar; Mahdi Shahriari; Omid Reza Zekavat; Mehran Karimi; Gholamreza Fathpour; Arman Zargaran; Nader Shakibazad

The efficacy of Allium ampeloprasum L. in reducing neutrophil recovery time in childhood cancer with febrile neutropenia: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Am J Blood Res. 2023 Oct 15;13(5):143-151. eCollection 2023.

Affiliations

¹ Hematology Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences Shiraz, Iran.
² Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences Shiraz, Iran.
³ Medicinal Plants Processing Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences Shiraz, Iran.
⁴ Department of Phytopharmaceuticals (Traditional Pharmacy), School of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences Tehran, Iran.
⁵ Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences Bushehr, Iran.

PMID: 38023416
PMCID: PMC10658031

Abstract

Introduction: Febrile neutropenia is a serious complication of cancer chemotherapy that can result in delays in treatment. This study evaluates the efficacy of A. ampeloprasum L. at neutrophil recovery time in children with chemotherapy-associated febrile neutropenia.

Methods: This single-center, parallel-group, double-blind, randomized clinical trial was conducted at an oncology hospital. Patients selected among childhood cancers with febrile neutropenia. Overall, 97 febrile neutropenic children were enrolled. The intervention group (n=49) was given A. ampeloprasum L. in capsules (500 mg twice daily) for seven days plus supportive care. The control group (n=48) was treated similarly with supportive care and placebo capsules. Total white blood cell (WBC) and absolute neutrophil counts (ANC) were checked daily and neutrophil recovery time in both groups was compared.

Results: Patients in the intervention group experienced shorter neutrophil recovery compared to the control group (4.02 ± 2.32 days vs. 6.38 ± 2.80 days, respectively, P less than 0.001). The intervention group was discharged from the hospital earlier than the control group with a mean of two days, but it did not reach statistical significance (P=0.133). Mean WBC and ANC were not significantly different in the two groups. Herbal medicine was well tolerated, and no adverse effect was reported.

Conclusions: A fresh, lyophilized extract from deciduous leaves of A. ampeloprasum L. can effectively shorten the ANC recovery time leading to an earlier release from the hospital. The trial was registered in the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials with registration No. IRCT2015051615666N2 (http://www.irct.ir/).

Keywords: A. ampeloprasum L.; Iranian traditional medicine; cancer; children; febrile neutropenia; leek; randomized controlled trial.