Objective  The present study aimed to examine the therapeutic mechanism of shen qi fu zheng zhu she ye toward the adrenal cortex ultrastructure in cancer-related fatigue (CRF) .

  Methods  BALB/C nude mice (n=130) were used to establish animal models for the CRF.The nude mice were categorized into control (n=10) , model (n=30) , and treatment (n=90) groups.We injected 0.2 ml of the cell culture (cell density of human stomach cancer BGC-823 cell line = 2.5×10⁶/mL) into the nude mice.During cancer transplantation, 5-fluorine uracil and shen qi fu zheng zhu she ye were used in making treatment comparisons of the injected and untreated mice.Water maze, tail hanging, and swimming capability experiments, as well as open field test, were conducted to determine the behavior of the animal models.The ultrastructure of the adrenal cortex was observed by an electron microscope.High-performance liquid chromatography was employed to determine the cortisol levels.

  Results  The cortisol levels in the mild, moderate, and severe fatigue groups were significantly lower than the control group.The change in the adrenal cortex ultrastructure was nonsignificant.

  Conclusion  The adrenal cortex ultrastructure plays a role in the CRF, especially when the body was tired.Shen qi fu zheng zhu she ye exhibited therapeutic action toward the adrenal cortex ultrastructure in CRF.