Efficacy and safety of compound glycyrrhizin in the patients with vitiligo: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Compound glycyrrhizin (CG) is widely used to treat vitiligo in China, and the efficacy and adverse events (AEs) of CG for vitiligo need further analysis. This study aimed to systematically reevaluate the efficacy and safety of CG in the patients with vitiligo. Eight literature databases were searched up to 31 December 2022, and randomized controlled trials which compared CG plus conventional treatments with conventional treatments alone were included. 17 studies with 1492 patients were included. The pooled results showed that the combination of CG and conventional treatments was superior to conventional treatments alone in the total efficacy rate (risk ratio (RR) = 1.54, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.40 to 1.69, <i>P</i> &lt; 0.00001), cure rate (RR = 1.62, 95%CI = 1.32 to 1.99, <i>P</i> &lt; 0.00001), the levels of serum IL-6, TNF-α, IL-17, and TGF-ß, and the ratio of CD4⁺/CD8⁺ T cell in blood. Moreover, few patients suffered from the mild and tolerable AEs of CG. CG plus conventional treatments is an effective treatment for vitiligo with mild and tolerable AEs. More high-quality and large-sample studies are required in the future to provide more evidence of CG for vitiligo. CRD42023401166

复方甘草酸苷（Compound glycyrrhizin, CG）在我国被广泛用于白癜风的治疗，但其针对白癜风的临床疗效与不良事件（adverse events, AEs）仍有待进一步分析。本研究旨在系统重新评估复方甘草酸苷治疗白癜风患者的疗效与安全性。本研究检索了截至2022年12月31日的8个文献数据库，纳入比较复方甘草酸苷联合常规治疗与单纯常规治疗的随机对照试验。最终纳入17项研究，共1492例患者。合并分析结果显示，复方甘草酸苷联合常规治疗在总有效率（风险比（risk ratio, RR）=1.54，95%置信区间（95% confidence interval, CI）=1.40~1.69，P<0.00001）、痊愈率（RR=1.62，95%CI=1.32~1.99，P<0.00001）、血清IL-6、TNF-α、IL-17及TGF-β水平，以及外周血CD4+/CD8+ T细胞比值方面均优于单纯常规治疗。此外，仅少数患者出现轻度且可耐受的复方甘草酸苷相关不良事件。复方甘草酸苷联合常规治疗是一种治疗白癜风的有效手段，且不良事件轻度可耐受。未来仍需开展更多高质量、大样本量的研究，为复方甘草酸苷治疗白癜风提供更充分的循证医学证据。本研究注册编号为CRD42023401166