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SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article

Front. Pharmacol.
Sec. Ethnopharmacology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fphar.2025.1484325
This article is part of the Research Topic Immunomodulatory Natural Products - their Pharmacological and Therapeutic potential View all 8 articles

Comparative efficacy of topical commercial Chinese polyherbal preparation for vulvovaginal candidiasis: A network meta-analysis

Provisionally accepted
Lizheng Wu Lizheng Wu 1Shangwen Jing Shangwen Jing 2Na Li Na Li 3Dandan Cao Dandan Cao 2Fangli Pei Fangli Pei 4*Yantong Luo Yantong Luo 1Xiaoxin Chen Xiaoxin Chen 1Yingjie Huang Yingjie Huang 1Zeng Cheng Zeng Cheng 4*
  • 1 First Clinical Medical College, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
  • 2 Science and Technology Innovation Center, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
  • 3 College of Basic Medicine, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
  • 4 The First Affiliated Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China

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

    Objective: To systematically evaluate the differences in the efficacy of commonly used topical commercial Chinese polyherbal preparations (CCPPs) with vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC), and to provide evidence-based reference for clinical drug regimens.: Computer searched major Chinese and English literature databases, and collected randomized controlled trials (RTCs) of external use of CCPPs combined with conventional treatment (CT, test group) versus CT alone (control group) in patients with VVC. After screening the literature, the quality of the included studies was assessed using the risk of bias assessment tool recommended in 5.3 of the Cochrane Handbook. Outcome data for each outcome measure were extracted and a network meta-analysis was performed using Stata 15.0.Results: A total of 74 RCTs with a total of 8151 patients were included, nine interventions were involved. The results of network meta-analysis showed that, Fufang Shajiziyou suppository combined with CT is more effective in improving the negative conversion rate and controlling the recurrence rate of Candida albicans.Kangfu gel combined with CT had the better effect in relieving pruritus. Baofukang suppository combined with CT were the most effective in reducing leukorrhea.Fufukang spray combined with CT had fewer adverse reactions.The addition of CCPPs to CT may acquire a better curative effect in patients with VVC and external does not significantly increase the occurrence of adverse reactions. However, due to the low quality of the included literature, larger-scale, higher-quality clinical studies are still needed.

    Keywords: vulvovaginal candidiasis, commercial Chinese polyherbal preparation (CCPP), Chinese patent medicine, Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), Anti-fungal drugs, Network meta-analysis, A review

    Received: 21 Aug 2024; Accepted: 06 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Wu, Jing, Li, Cao, Pei, Luo, Chen, Huang and Cheng. 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:
    Fangli Pei, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
    Zeng Cheng, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, 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.