Efficacy and safety of Bifidobacterium quadruple viable tablets combined with mosapride citrate in the treatment of constipation in China: a systematic review and meta-analysis

AIM: To analyze the efficacy and safety of Bifidobacterium quadruple viable tablets combined with mosapride citrate for the treatment of constipation. METHODS: A systematic review was performed on studies published until July 2022 in PubMed, Embase, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang. The efficacy rate, adverse reaction rate, recurrence rate, and clinical symptoms were included in the measured outcomes. RESULTS: The efficacy of Bifidobacterium quadruple viable tablets combined with mosapride citrate in the treatment of constipation was higher than that of mosapride citrate alone (OR = 4.75, 95% CI (3.27, 6.90), Z = 8.19, P < 0.001; I(2) = 0.0%, P = 0.645). There was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse reactions between the two groups (OR = 0.97, 95% CI (0.61,1.57), Z = 0.11, P = 0.911; I(2) = 0.0%, P = 0.958). The recurrence rate of constipation in patients receiving the combination treatment was lower than that of patients treated with mosapride citrate alone (OR = 0.48, 95%CI (0.31, 0.73), Z = 3.38, P = 0.001; I(2) = 29.8%, P = 0.200). CONCLUSIONS: Bifidobacterium quadruple viable tablets combined with mosapride citrate demonstrated efficacy and safety in treating constipation. Probiotics have the potential to positively influence gut health and microbial profiles in patients with functional constipation. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12876-023-02884-3.