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SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Pharmacol.
Sec. Neuropharmacology
Volume 16 - 2025 |
doi: 10.3389/fphar.2025.1545493
Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Propranolol in the Prevention and Treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Provisionally accepted- Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei, China
Objective: This systematic review and meta-analysis aim to comprehensively evaluate the efficacy of propranolol in the prevention and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), with a focus on its improvement of core PTSD symptoms.: A literature search was conducted across multiple databases (including PubMed, Cochrane, Web of Science, and Embase), with the search cutoff date in October 2024. The studies included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating pharmacological treatments for PTSD. PTSD symptoms were assessed using standardized clinical scales, including the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS) and the PTSD Checklist (PCL). The primary outcome was the improvement in PTSD symptoms.Results: Seven studies met the inclusion criteria for the meta-analysis. The studies showed low heterogeneity, with a chi-squared value of 2.56 (df = 6, p = 0.86) and I² = 0%. The overall effect test indicated significant improvement in PTSD symptoms after propranolol intervention (Z = 2.32, p = 0.02). These findings suggest that propranolol has a statistically significant effect on reducing the severity of PTSD symptoms, with a moderate effect size according to Cohen's criteria.This systematic review and meta-analysis provide preliminary evidence supporting the possible role of propranolol in alleviating PTSD symptoms. Future researches are needed to further clarify the therapeutic potential, mechanisms of action, and long-term safety of propranolol in PTSD treatment.
Keywords: PTSD, Propranolol, Meta-analysis, Systematic review, Cardiac dysfunction
Received: 15 Dec 2024; Accepted: 16 Jan 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Li, Zhang, Yang and Zhu. 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:
Shaojie Yang, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei, China
Guoqi Zhu, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei, 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.