Abstract:Objective To analyze the efficacy of reduced glutathione combined with phenobarbital in the treatment of neonatal jaundice.Methods Eighty-four neonates with jaundice treated in the 904th Hospital of Joint Logistics Support Force of Chinese PLA from April 2015 to December 2019 were selected and divided into the study group and the control group by random number table method, with 42 cases in each group. Both groups received conventional phototherapy. Besides, the control group was given phenobarbital on the basis of conventional treatment, and the study group was given glutathione in addition to conventional phototherapy and phenobarbital. Both groups were treated continuously for 7 days to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy. The duration of phototherapy, time to recovery from jaundice, liver function, clinical efficacy, peripheral blood cytokines, immune function and adverse drug reactions during treatment were compared between the two groups.Results The duration of phototherapy and time to recovery from jaundice in the study group were shorter than those in the control group (P < 0.05). The differences of the levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), total bilirubin (TBIL), transferrin (TRF) and total bile acid (TBA) as well as the ratio of CD4+/CD8+ cells before and after treatment in the study group were higher than those in the control group (P < 0.05). The overall effective rate in the study group was higher than that in the control group (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the incidence of overall adverse reactions between the two groups (P > 0.05).Conclusions In the treatment of neonatal jaundice, reduced glutathione combined with phenobarbital enhances the therapeutic efficacy, shortens the duration of phototherapy, promotes the recovery from jaundice, improves the liver function and modulates the levels of TRF and TBA and the immune responses with a good safety profile.