Efficacy and safety of Tripterygium glycosides as an add-on treatment in adults with chronic urticaria: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Context Tripterygium glycosides (TG), a traditional Chinese medicine, has been used to treat chronic urticaria (CU) in China, and the evidence of TG for CU needs to be updated thoroughly. Objective To systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of TG combined with H1-antihistamine (H1-AH) in adults with CU. Methods Eligible randomized controlled trials were searched in eight databases until May 31, 2022, including CNKI, WanFang, VIP, SinoMed, PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, and Web of Science. The search terms included urticaria, Tripterygium , Lei Gong Teng, and Leigongteng. Rev Man 5.3 and Stata 12.0 were used for statistical analysis. Results A total of 27 studies with 2788 patients were included. The pooled results showed that TG plus H1-AH was superior to H1-AH alone in cure rate (RR = 1.37, 95% CI = 1.15 to 1.63, p = 0.0003), total efficacy rate (RR = 1.40, 95% CI = 1.30 to 1.50, p < 0.00001), pruritus (MD = −0.32, 95% CI = −0.54 to −0.11, p = 0.003), wheal number (MD = −0.31, 95% CI = −0.55 to −0.07, p = 0.01), wheal size (MD = −0.32, 95% CI = −0.46 to −0.19, p < 0.00001), and the serum level of immunoglobulin E (SMD = −1.39, 95% CI = −2.42 to −0.36, p = 0.008). Moreover, adverse events between two groups were mild, and their incidences were not significantly different. Conclusions The combination of TG and H1-AH is a promising and safe treatment for adults with refractory CU. Further high-quality studies are needed to confirm the evidence.

The efficacy of Tripterygium Glycosides in the treatment of Chinese patients with thyroid-associated orbitopathy: A systematic review and meta-analysis

“…It has even been found that long-term use of Tripterygium Glycosides causes skin and mucosal reactions such as oral mucosal ulcers, dryness of the mouth and eyes, roughness and dryness of the skin, rashes, skin sclerosis, and increased melanin production, which is usually associated with the inhibition of the IL-23/IL-17 pathway [51,52]. In addition, long-term use of Tripterygium Glycosides can inhibit ovarian function and cause menstrual disorders such as decreased menstrual flow or amenorrhea in women, and in men, it may lead to a decrease in sperm count or sperm motility [53,54].…”

Leucocytoclastic Vasculitis Presenting as Bilateral Ulcerative Keratitis: A Case Report

“…Sulfasalazine and Tripterygium Glycosides Tablets are the common immunosuppressive agents which have anti-inflammatory and suppressing effects on cellular and humoral immunity used for treatment in the most case of LCV, 14 , 15 and can quickly resolve both cutaneous and ocular inflammations after treatment. 16 The combination of the 2 drugs is common and effective in the clinic for control of LCV progression.…”