Comparative study of safflower yellow adjuvant to conventional treatment regimen and conventional treatment regimen on diabetic nephropathy.

Yun Liang, Xudong Chen, Sainan Luo, Yang Li

Journal: Scientific reports 2024;14(1):21140

PMID: 39256461

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Plain Language Summary

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is characterised by chronic hyperglycaemia and proteinuria. It is a major complication of diabetes and is the second leading cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) after glomerulonephritis. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of safflower yellow, which is a natural extract from the petals of the safflower, as an adjunct to conventional DN treatment using evidence-based medicine. This meta-analysis included 28 articles, comprising a total of 2251 patients (1134 in the experimental group and 1117 in the control group). Results showed that adding safflower yellow to conventional treatment improved the overall efficacy rate, resulted in fewer adverse reactions, and was cost-effective compared to conventional treatment alone. Authors concluded that safflower yellow may serve as a useful adjunct to conventional therapies, including hypoglycaemic, antihypertensive, and lipid-lowering treatments in patients with DN.

Abstract

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is one of the most important comorbidities of diabetic patients, which places large physiological and economic burdens on patients. Safflower yellow, a natural pigment extracted from the petals of safflower, has been put into adjuvant therapy. Databases including Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Database, MEDLINE and etc. will be searched for relevant articles. A meta-analysis was carried out to assess the efficacy and safety of safflower yellow adjuvant to conventional treatment regimen using mean differences (MD) and rate ratios (RR). A cost-effectiveness analysis was also conducted based on the result of meta-analysis. Finally, 28 articles involving 2251 patients were included in meta-analysis. The results showed that compared with conventional treatment, the fasting blood-glucose (FBG) [MD = 0.40], urinary albumin ejection rate (UAER) within 24 h [MD = 48.16], serum creatinine (Scr) [MD = 9.63], blood urea nitrogen (BUN) [MD = 1.73] were significantly lower and the clinical efficacy [RR = 1.28] was more remarkable in safflower yellow adjuvant to conventional treatment group. Our analysis suggested that safflower yellow adjuvant to conventional treatment regimen not only had better clinical efficacy but more cost-effective than conventional treatment regimen.

Address: Institute of regulatory science, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China. [email protected].; The Research Center of National Drug Policy & Ecosystem, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China. [email protected].; College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China. [email protected].; Guangdong Food and Drug Vocational College, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China.; School of International Pharmaceutical Business, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China. [email protected].

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-64216-z