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SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article

Front. Cardiovasc. Med.
Sec. Coronary Artery Disease
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fcvm.2024.1499585

Chinese patent medicine Tongxinluo capsule as a supplement to treat chronic coronary syndromes: a GRADE-assessed systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Provisionally accepted
Shi-Bing Liang Shi-Bing Liang 1Yi-Fei Wang Yi-Fei Wang 1Zhen-Chao Niu Zhen-Chao Niu 1Yu-Fei Li Yu-Fei Li 2Hui-Min Zheng Hui-Min Zheng 1Jiaming Huan Jiaming Huan 3Jie Yuan Jie Yuan 1Nicola Robinson Nicola Robinson 4Jian-Ping Liu Jian-Ping Liu 2Yunlun Li Yunlun Li 1*
  • 1 Affiliated Hospital of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China
  • 2 Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, Beijing Municipality, China
  • 3 Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, Shandong Province, China
  • 4 London South Bank University, London, England, United Kingdom

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Chronic coronary syndromes (CCS) is a common clinical condition that increases the risk of cardiovascular events at any time. Tongxinluo capsules (TXL) are widely used in China for treating CCS.To systematically evaluate the therapeutic effects and safety of adding TXL to Western medical treatment (WM) for CCS.We searched PubMed, Cochrane Library, CNKI, VIP, and Wanfang databases up to August 2024 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the therapeutic effects and safety of combining TXL with WM compared to WM alone for CCS. Data analyses were conducted using RevMan 5.4 software.Twenty studies involving 2091 participants were identified. Evidence supports the use of TXL plus WM for reducing angina frequency (SMD -2.50, 95% CI [-3.53, -1.48]), improving seattle angina questionnaire scores (P < 0.05), decreasing nitroglycerin dose (SMD -1.63, 95% CI [-2.26, -1.00]), and shortening angina duration (MD -1.50 minutes/once, 95% CI [-1.98, -1.02]). Adding TXL to WM showed a non-significant trend toward reducing myocardial infarction (RR 0.34, 95% CI [0.05, 2.12]; NNT = 41) and sudden cardiac death (RR 0.34, 95% CI [0.01, 8.28]; NNT = 65). No increase in adverse events was observed when TXL was added to WM (RR 1.02, 95% CI [0.70, 1.49]; NNT = 149).Our review suggests that TXL may offer additional therapeutic benefits for CCS patients and appears to be safe when combined with WM. Further investigations are warranted to confirm the potential impact of adding TXL to WM for CCS. PROSPERO registration number: CRD 42024499031.

    Keywords: chronic coronary syndromes, cardiovascular disease, Chinese herbal medicine, Meta-analysis, Systematic review, Tongxinluo, clinical evidence

    Received: 21 Sep 2024; Accepted: 18 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Liang, Wang, Niu, Li, Zheng, Huan, Yuan, Robinson, Liu and Li. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Yunlun Li, Affiliated Hospital of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.