Evaluation of HuoXueHuaYu therapy for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Background To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of HuoXueHuaYu (HXHY) therapy in treating nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) through a systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods We performed comprehensive searches on Embase, Pubmed, Cochrane Library, CNKI, VIP and Wanfang databases up to June 2017 for randomized controlled trials using HXHY in the treatment of NAFLD compared with conventional treatment. Results This meta-analysis included 13 studies involving 1429 patients which 775 patients belonged to HXHY group and 654 patients belonged to conventional treatment group. The results of meta-analysis showed that HXHY can significantly improve B ultrasonic level (OR = 2.33; 95% CI:1.60, 3.40; P < 0.00001) of NAFLD compared with conventional treatment. As to lipids, HXHY was tested to be better on reduction of total cholesterol (TC) (MD = -0.38, 95% CI: − 0.48, − 0.29; P < 0.00001) and triglyceride (TG) (MD = -0.31; 95% CI: − 0.37, − 0.24; P < 0.00001) than conventional treatment. HXHY also had a greater beneficial effect on liver function in reducing alanine transaminase (ALT) (MD = -1.69; 95% CI: − 2.24, − 1.14; P < 0.00001) and aspartate transaminase (AST) (MD = -22.53; 95% CI: − 33.16, − 11.90; P < 0.00001) compared with conventional treatment. HXHY can also significantly improve the effective rate (OR = 3.55; 95% CI:2.65, 4.76; P < 0.00001) compared with conventional treatment. No serious adverse reactions were reported. Conclusions HXHY seems to be an effective and safe therapy for NAFLD. It is suggested that further study of HXHY in the treatment of NAFLD requires trials with rigorous design, multicenter, large-scale and high-quality worldwide.

Herbal Medicine in the Treatment of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Diseases-Efficacy, Action Mechanism, and Clinical Application

“…For example, Yinchenhao Decoction has been used in treatment of gallbladder and liver diseases for centuries and it was composed of Artemisia capillaris (Thunb), Gardenia jasminoides (Ellis), and Rheum palmatum (L) (Yao et al, 2016); Oral administration of Danning Tablet (composed of Rhei Radix Et Rhizoma, Polygoni Cuspidati Rhizoma Et Radix, dried green orange peel and dried old orange peel) for three month in 232 patients can improve the clinical symptoms of NAFLD (Fan, 2004); The results of metaanalysis showed that HuoXueHuaYu improved B ultrasonic level in patients with NAFLD. As to lipids, HuoXueHuaYu showed effective action on reduction of TC, TG, ALT, and AST levels (Cai et al, 2019); Bangpungtongseong-san is an ancient Chinese herbal medicine formula and has been clinically applied in Korea, Japan (Bofu-tsusho-san), and China (Fang feng tong sheng-san) for obesity and its associated metabolic syndrome (Kobayashi et al, 2017); Erchen Decoction is used for the treatment of obesity, hyperlipidemia, and fatty liver diseases. Seven randomized controlled trials with a total of 1951 participants were investigated for the effects of Erchen Decoction on patients with NAFLD.…”

Chinese medicine formulas for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: Overview of systematic reviews

“…Full-text screening further filtered out 11 records. Finally, seven systematic reviews were included[ 8 , 9 , 16 - 20 ]. The detailed literature search flowchart is shown in Figure 1 .…”

The Impacts of Herbal Medicines and Natural Products on Regulating the Hepatic Lipid Metabolism

“…HXHY showed better ability on lowing TC and TG levels than that of conversational treatment. HXHY might be an effective and safe therapy for NAFLD, and trials with rigorous design, multicenter, large-scale, and high-quality worldwide are still expected (Cai et al, 2019). Erchen Decoction (ECD), a TCM formula, is often used in the therapy of various diseases.…”