Effects of baicalin capsules combined with α-lipoic acid on nerve conduction velocity, oxidative stress and inflammatory injury in patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy

Cai Tang; Rui Han; Jinlin Wu; Fang Fang

Effects of baicalin capsules combined with α-lipoic acid on nerve conduction velocity, oxidative stress and inflammatory injury in patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy

Am J Transl Res. 2021 Apr 15;13(4):2774-2783. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Cai Tang¹, Rui Han¹, Jinlin Wu¹, Fang Fang¹

Affiliation

¹ Department of Endocrinology, Chongqing Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital Chongqing, China.

PMID: 34017440
PMCID: PMC8129320

Abstract

Objective: To observe the effects of baicalin capsules combined with α-lipoic acid on nerve conduction velocity, oxidative stress and inflammatory injury in patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy.

Methods: A total of 96 patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy who received treatment in our hospital were divided into the control group (CG) and the research group (SG) by a randomized double-blind method, with 48 cases in each group. In the CG, patients were treated with α-lipoic acid. In the SG, patients were treated with baicalin capsules combined with α-lipoic acid. The clinical efficacy, symptoms (neuropathic subjective symptom questionnaire (TSS) score), nerve conduction velocity, oxidative stress indicators (superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA)), inflammatory injury indicators (hs-C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α)) and adverse reactions were compared between the two groups.

Results: The clinical efficacy in the SG was higher than that in the CG (P<0.05). After treatment, the TSS score and the levels of serum SOD, MDA, TNF-α, IL-6 and CRP decreased in both groups, and the SG was lower than the CG (P<0.05). After treatment, the motor conduction velocity (MCV) and sensory conduction velocity (SCV) velocities of the tibial nerve and common peroneal nerve increased in both groups, and the SG was higher than the CG (P<0.05). There was no statistical difference in adverse drug reactions between the two groups (P>0.05).

Conclusion: Compared with α-lipoic acid monotherapy, baicalin capsules combined with α-lipoic acid are effective in treating patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy, this treatment can obviously relieve the clinical symptoms of patients, improve nerve conduction velocity, reduce oxidative stress and inflammatory injury, and it does not increase adverse reactions. Therefore, it is worthy of promotion.

Keywords: Diabetic peripheral neuropathy; baicalin capsule; inflammatory injury; nerve conduction velocity; oxidative stress; α-lipoic acid.