ABSTRACT

EFFECT OF SAMBILOTO (ANDROGRAPHIS PANICULATA) EXTRACT ON C-REACTIVE PROTEIN LEVELS, NEUTROPHILE-LYMPHOCYTE RATIO, AND LENGTH OF STAY IN COMMUNITY-ACQUIRED PNEUMONIA

Aryo Seno, Jatu Aphridasari, Artrien Adhiputri

Departement of Pulmonology and Respiratory Medicine
Faculty of Medicine of Sebelas Maret University/ Dr. Moewardi Hospital Surakarta

Background: Community-acquired pneumonia is an acute respiratory infection of the alveoli and distal tracheobronchial branches that is acquired in the community. Sambiloto (A. Paniculata) has anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and immunomodulatory effects and can be used as an additional therapy in community-acquired pneumonia. CRP and NLR are inflammatory biomarkers that are known to be associated with the outcome of community-acquired pneumonia patients.
Method: This study was a quasi-experimental study with a pre-test and post-test design. The subjects of this study were 30 community-acquired pneumonia patients who were hospitalized at the RSUD dr. Moewardi Surakarta and RSUD dr. Soehadi Prijonegoro Sragen, from February to March 2024. The control group (n=15) received standard therapy, while the treatment group (n=15) received standard therapy plus 350 mg/day of sambiloto extract capsules orally each day during admission. CRP and NLR levels were measured when the subjects were treated and when they were allowed to go home. The length of hospital stay was calculated from the first day the patient was admitted to the hospital until the patient was allowed to go home.
Results: There was a significant decrease in the CRP levels in the treatment group (p= 0.001). There was no significant decrease in the NLR between the control and treatment groups (p= 0.394 and p= 0.691, respectively). There was no significant difference in the length of hospital stay between the control and treatment groups (p= 0.562). In the treatment group, there was a positive correlation that was not statistically significant between CRP and NLR levels and the length of hospital stay (R= 0.141, p= 0.457; R= 0.082; p= 0.668).
Conclusion: Administration of A. Paniculata extract to patients with community-acquired pneumonia significantly reduced CRP levels. Administration of Andrographis Paniculata extract to patients with community-acquired pneumonia did not significantly reduce the NLR and length of stay.