Efficacy of Lycium barbarum Polysaccharide Combined with Bevacizumab in the Treatment of Recurrent High-Grade Brain Glioma and Its Effect on Immune Function

Chongqiao Qin, Yousheng Jiang, Huaquan Zhu

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¹ Guigang People’s Hospital, Guigang 537100, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China,

CNR 2026 , 4(1), 58–65; https://doi.org/10.26689/cnr.v4i1.14295

© 2026 by the Authors. Licensee Whioce Publishing, Singapore. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the effect of Lycium barbarum polysaccharide (LBP) combined with bevacizumab (BEV) in the treatment of recurrent high-grade glioma and its effect on immune function. Methods: A total of 103 patients with recurrent high-grade cerebral glioma admitted to Guigang People’s Hospital, the Eighth Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, from January 2020 to December 2023 were selected. According to different treatment methods, they were divided into an experimental group (n=52) and a control group (n=51). The control group was treated with BEV, and the experimental group was treated with LBP on the basis of the control group. Both groups were treated for 3 cycles. The clinical efficacy, Kelch-like epichlorohydrin-related protein-1 (Keap1)/nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) signaling pathway level, immune function indexes (CD3⁺, CD4⁺, CD8⁺, and CD4⁺/CD8⁺), improvement of quality of life, and incidence of adverse reactions were compared between the two groups before and after treatment. Results: After 3 cycles of treatment, the objective response rate (ORR) and disease control rate (DCR) in the experimental group were significantly higher than those in the control group (P<0.05). The levels of serum Keap1 and Nrf2 in the two groups were higher than those before treatment, and those in the experimental group were higher than those in the control group (P<0.05). After treatment, except for no significant change in CD8⁺ level, the levels of CD3⁺, CD4^+, and CD4⁺/CD8⁺ in the two groups were higher than those before treatment, and those in the experimental group were higher than those in the control group (P< 0.05). The scores of psychological function, living status, physical function, and social function in the two groups were higher than those before treatment, and those in the experimental group were higher than those in the control group (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse reactions between the two groups after treatment (?²=0.001, P=0.982). Conclusion: The clinical efficacy of LBP combined with BEV in the treatment of recurrent high-grade glioma is significant, which can improve immune function and improve quality of life, which may be related to the activation of the Keap1/Nrf2 pathway.

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