Treatment of Type 2 diabetes with Tianqi Jiangtang Capsule: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

BACKGROUND: Tianqi Jiangtang Capsule is a commonly used Chinese patent medicine for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in China. The purpose of this study is to systematically evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of Tianqi Jiangtang Capsule in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus. METHODS: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of Tianqi Jiangtang Capsule in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus were retrieved. According to the requirements of Cochrane Manual, the included literature was assessed and meta-analyzed with RevMan 5.3 software. RESULTS: (1) Meta-analysis included 8 RCTs and 1029 participants. (2) There were two studies on adverse reactions. (3) Meta-analysis showed that Tianqi Jiangtang Capsule could significantly reduce HbA1c (n = 1029; MD, −0.31; 95% CI, [−0.43 to −0.19]; P < .00001; I(2) = 0%). FBG (Z = 4.28 (P < .0001), MD = 0.78, 95%CI[−1.14 to −0.43]). 2hPG [OR = −1.25, 95% CI [−1.25 to −0.65], Z = 6.26 (P < .00001)] compared with the control group. CONCLUSIONS: According to the results of this study, Tianqi Jiangtang Capsule combined with antidiabetic agents may have a better therapeutic effect on diabetes mellitus than antidiabetic agents alone, but due to the low methodological quality and limited number of studies, more high-quality studies are needed to verify it.