Traditional complementary and alternative medicine (TCAM) for diabetic foot ulcer management: A systematic review

Suman Kumar; Alakesh Bharali; Himangshu Sarma; Susankar Kushari; Sameeran Gam; Iswar Hazarika; Satyendra K Prasad; Damiki Laloo

doi:10.1016/j.jaim.2023.100745

Traditional complementary and alternative medicine (TCAM) for diabetic foot ulcer management: A systematic review

J Ayurveda Integr Med. 2023 Jul-Aug;14(4):100745. doi: 10.1016/j.jaim.2023.100745. Epub 2023 Jul 11.

Authors

Suman Kumar¹, Alakesh Bharali², Himangshu Sarma³, Susankar Kushari¹, Sameeran Gam³, Iswar Hazarika⁴, Satyendra K Prasad⁵, Damiki Laloo⁶

Affiliations

¹ Assam Science and Technology University, Guwahati, 781013, Assam, India; Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Girijananda Chowdhury Institute of Pharmaceutical Science, Girijananda Chowdhury University, Guwahati, 781017, Assam, India.
² Department of Pharmaceutics, Girijananda Chowdhury Institute of Pharmaceutical Science, Girijananda Chowdhury University, Guwahati, 781017, Assam, India.
³ Department of Pharmacognosy, NETES Institute of Pharmaceutical Science, Mirza, 781101, Assam, India.
⁴ Department of Pharmacology, Girijananda Chowdhury Institute of Pharmaceutical Science, Girijananda Chowdhury University, Guwahati, 781017, Assam, India.
⁵ Department of Pharmacognosy, R.T.M. Nagpur University, Nagpur, 440033, India.
⁶ Assam Science and Technology University, Guwahati, 781013, Assam, India; Phytochemical Research Laboratory, Department of Pharmacognosy, Girijananda Chowdhury Institute of Pharmaceutical Science, Girijananda Chowdhury University, Guwahati, 781017, Assam, India. Electronic address: damiki.laloo@gmail.com.

Abstract

Diabetic Foot Ulcers (DFUs) are a devastating micro-vascular complication of diabetes with an increased prevalence and incidence and high rate of morbidity and mortality. Since antibiotics are frequently used to treat DFU, managing the condition has proven to be extremely challenging and may eventually lead to the development of antibiotic resistance. Scientists from around the world are working to develop an alternative solution to the problem of drug resistance by exploring complementary and alternative medicines that may be obtained from natural sources. Hence, the review aims to comprehensively report the information on the natural treatments and therapy used to manage DFU. All of the information described in the current study was gathered from electronic scientific resources, including Google Scholar, PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, and Springer Link. Findings from the current review revealed the pre-clinical and clinical utility of 18 medicinal plants, 1 isolated compound, 7 polyherbal formulations including herbal creams, a few micronutrients including vitamins and minerals, insect products such as propolis, honey and, Maggot debridement therapy for the treatment and management of DFU. Natural therapies possess better efficacy, low cost, and shorter duration of treatment when compared with the conventional treatments; hence, all information made available about them is crucial to alter the direction of treatment. Furthermore, the data presented in this review are up to date on the potential efficacy of natural complementary medicines for alleviating DFU problems in in vitro and in vivo tests, as well as clinical studies.

Keywords: Clinical aspect; Diabetic foot ulcer; Medicinal plant extracts; Molecular mechanism; Polyherbal formulation; Traditional complementary and alternative medicine.

Publication types

Review