Efficacy and Safety of Probiotics Combined With Traditional Chinese Medicine for Ulcerative Colitis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Background: The combination of probiotics and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is a prospective therapy for ulcerative colitis (UC), and its efficacy and safety need to be urgently evaluated.Objective: This study aims to comprehensively assess the efficacy and safety of probiotics combined with TCM for the treatment of UC.Methods: The Pubmed, EMBASE, Cochrane library, China Academic Journals (CNKI), Wan-fang database, Chinese biomedical literature service system (CBM), and Chinese Science and Technology Journals (CQVIP) were searched. Subgroup analysis were designed in accordance with different control drugs, treatment courses, and types of probiotics. The Review Manager software (version 5.4.1) was utilized for statistical analysis.Results: 14 original studies containing 1,154 patients were analyzed and showed that probiotics with TCM was more effective than 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA), probiotics or TCM used individually. Moreover, probiotics combined with TCM could inhibit the intestinal inflammation, reduce the recurrence rate and the incidence of adverse events. The subgroup analysis showed that a mixture of different probiotics was more effective than a single strain.Conclusion: It is suggested that probiotics combined with TCM could effectively control clinical symptoms, inhibit intestinal inflammatory response, and finally slow down the disease progress and reduce the disease recurrence with less adverse events. The mixture of different probiotics used in conjunction with individually tailored TCM is a potential clinical strategy for UC.

The interactions between traditional Chinese medicine and gut microbiota: Global research status and trends

“…Li-Zhong Decoction can improve UC by regulating GM and its metabolites. The combined treatment of probiotics and TCM can inhibit intestinal inflammation and reduce adverse events for UC ( Hu et al., 2022 ). (2) IBS: Li et al.…”

“…Li-Zhong Decoction can improve UC by regulating GM and its metabolites. The combined treatment of probiotics and TCM can inhibit intestinal inflammation and reduce adverse events for UC (Hu et al, 2022). ( 2) IBS: showed that Tong-Xie-Yao-Fang could reduce colonic serotonin levels and alleviate the symptoms of IBS by beneficially affecting GM.…”

Polysaccharide from Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz. ameliorates DSS-induced colitis in mice by regulating the Th17/Treg cell balance

“…Thus, alternative medicines have recently attracted attention in treating UC. Inspiringly, TCMs and polysaccharides from TCMs have become promising alternative and complementary therapies for UC treatment with fewer side effects (19). Jia et al conducted frequency analysis and found that Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz.…”

Protective effect of traditional Chinese medicine on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and liver cancer by targeting ferroptosis

“…Therefore, the search for more effective new drugs has become an urgent task. TCM occupies an equally important position as Western medicine in health management and disease treatment, and even numerous of clinical cases have proven to be superior in treatment of certain diseases (53)(54)(55)(56). TCM is the natural treasure trove of compounds with a wide range of sources, a great deal of active ingredients, and the stability of structure (57).…”