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SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article

Front. Pharmacol.
Sec. Ethnopharmacology
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1429071

QiMing granules for Diabetic Retinopathy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Provisionally accepted
YaZi Zhang YaZi Zhang Shi Menglong Shi Menglong Dehui Peng Dehui Peng Weijie Chen Weijie Chen Yucong Ma Yucong Ma Wenting Song Wenting Song Yuetong Wang Yuetong Wang Haiyin Hu Haiyin Hu Zhaochen Ji Zhaochen Ji *Fengwen Yang Fengwen Yang *
  • Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China

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

    To assess the efficacy and safety of QiMing granules (QM) in the treatment of patients with diabetic retinopathy (DR). We systematically searched multiple databases. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of QM in the treatment of DR were collected, and the search time limit was from the establishment of the database to March 27, 2024. Two independent researchers were involved in literature screening, data extraction, and bias risk assessment. The risk of bias in the included studies was assessed using the Risk of Bias Assessment tool for randomized controlled trials of Cochrane Collaboration 2.0 (RoB 2.0). Review Manager 5.4.1 and Stata 15.1 were used for meta-analysis. A total of 33 RCTs involving 3,042 patients were included in this study. Overall, we demonstrated that QM had a significant clinical effect on DR. QM alone was superior to conventional treatment (CT) in terms of overall efficacy [RR = 1.45, 95% CI: (1.34, 1.58), P < 0.00001, moderate certainty], retinal circulation time [MD = -0.56, 95% CI: (-1.01, -0.12), P = 0.01] and macular thickness [MD = -11.99, 95% CI: (-23.15, -0.83), P = 0.04]. QM plus CT was superior to CT in terms of overall efficacy [RR = 1.29, 95% CI: (1.24, 1.33), P < 0.00001], visual acuity [MD = 0.14, 95% CI: (0.11, 0.17), P < 0.00001], macular thickness [MD = -14.70, 95% CI: (-21.56, -7.83), P < 0.0001], TG [MD = -0.20, 95% CI: (-0.33, -0.08), P = 0.001, moderate certainty], TC [MD = -0.57, 95% CI: (-1.06, -0.07), P = 0.02], and LDL-C [MD = -0.36, 95% CI:(-0.70, -0.03), P = 0.03]. In terms of safety, the incidence of adverse events in the experimental group was less than that in the control group. The results of the GRADE evidence quality evaluation showed that the evidence quality of outcome indicators was mostly low. QM can effectively improve overall efficacy, visual acuity, macular thickness, retinal circulation time, and reduce the levels of TG, TC, and LDL-C. However, due to the limitations of this study, more multi-center and large sample studies are needed to confirm the conclusion.

    Keywords: Qiming granules, QiMing Keli, Diabetic Retinopathy, Systematic review, Meta-analysis, randomized controlled trials

    Received: 07 May 2024; Accepted: 29 Jul 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Zhang, Menglong, Peng, Chen, Ma, Song, Wang, Hu, Ji and Yang. 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:
    Zhaochen Ji, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
    Fengwen Yang, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China

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