Clinical Features and Rules of Chinese Herbal Medicine in Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy Patients

Abstract

Objective. To analyse the clinical features of diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) and employ data mining technology to explore the rules of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) therapy. Methods. The clinical data of 216 patients with DPN and qi-yin deficiency syndrome were obtained, and the clinical features of the patients were assessed by cluster analysis. Relevant information was entered into the clinical diagnosis and treatment collection system, and data mining techniques were used to analyse the drug frequency, core CHM, CHM pair, and so on. Results. In this study, glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) and homocysteine (HCY) were closely related to the pathogenesis of DPN. Overall, 162 patients had typical DPN syndrome characteristics, and we analysed 216 prescriptions, including 182 CHM. The frequencies of prescription of Astragalus membranaceus, Ligusticum wallichii, Poria cocos, and Radix Rehmanniae were greater than 45%. A Bayesian network analysis diagram showed that the 9 most common core CHM included Astragalus membranaceus, Ligusticum wallichii, Poria cocos, atractylodes rhizome, and Salvia miltiorrhiza Bge. According to the association rules of CHM, Radix Ophiopogon is used for Codonopsis pilosula; Astragalus membranaceus and atractylodes rhizome for Rehmannia are also frequently used. Astragalus membranaceus and Cinnamomi Ramulus or Ligusticum wallichii and Moutan bark were highly related to a decreased Michigan Diabetic Neuropathy Score. Conclusion. HbA1c and HCY are related risk factors for DPN. Numbness is a typical syndrome characteristic. Astragalus membranaceus is a monarch CHM and is used most frequently.

Oral Administration of East Asian Herbal Medicine for Peripheral Neuropathy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis with Association Rule Analysis to Identify Core Herb Combinations

“…The evidence related to the use of EAHM therapy for PN supported by this study is consistent with the results of previous studies on similar subjects. A study analyzing the clinical data for DPN after using 216 EAHM prescriptions found that the combination of Astragali Radix-Cinnamomi Ramulus and Ligusticum Chuanxiong-Moutan Radicis Cortex highly correlated with MDNS improvement [105]. Moreover, considering that Astragali Radix and Cinnamoni Ramulus are among the top 10 herbs utilized and their combination was identified as a core herb pattern, the findings of the previous study are similar to this study.…”

Effect of berberine on hyperglycaemia and gut microbiota composition in type 2 diabetic Goto-Kakizaki rats

“…We demonstrated that gut microbiota is a pharmacological target to exert a hypoglycaemic effect after berberine treatment of T2DM rats, but the mechanism is not yet entirely clear. Gut microbiota may also have a potential signalling function that needs to be studied for wider clinical and experimental usage[ 52 ].…”

Total flavonoids of Astragalus Ameliorated Bile Acid Metabolism Dysfunction in Diabetes Mellitus

“…Recent findings have indicated its role in modulating glucose metabolism and controlling progression of diabetes. Astragalus Radix is a common Chinese medicine used to treat diabetes [26], and a report has demonstrated that Astragalus Radix can regulate blood lipid and blood glucose levels in HFD-fed mice [27]. Previously, we found active Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine flavonoid components of Astragalus Radix have protective effects against diabetic damage in vitro [10][11][12][13], but its influence on bile acid metabolism was not studied.…”