Effect and Mechanism of Acupuncture Combined with Tangtong External Washing Formula on Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy of Cold Coagulation and Blood Stasis
Objective To evaluate the efficacy and underlying mechanisms of Tangtong External Washing Formu-la combined with acupuncture in patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy(DPN)presenting with cold coagulation and blood stasis syndrome.Methods A total of 134 DPN patients with cold coagulation and blood stasis at Kaifeng Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine from June 2017 to March 2022 were randomly divided into four groups by a random number table:the control group,the western medicine+acupuncture group,the western medicine+Tangtong External Washing For-mula group,and the western medicine+Tangtong External Washing Formula+acupuncture group,with each group having 33,33,34,and 34 patients,respectively.Patients were treated over four courses of 14 days each.Clinical efficacy,adverse reactions,changes in traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)syndrome scores,motor nerve conduction velocity(MNCV),sen-sory nerve conduction velocity(SNCV),and serum levels of oxidative stress markers(superoxide dismutase[SOD],malon-dialdehyde[MDA],glutathione peroxidase[GSH-Px]),nerve growth factor(NGF),and insulin-like growth factor(IGF)were compared among the groups.Results After treatment,the western medicine+Tangtong External Washing For-mula+acupuncture group had a higher total effective rate of 97.06％(33/34)compared with the control group(69.70％,33/34),the western medicine+acupuncture group(81.82％,27/33),and the western medicine+Tangtong External Washing Formula group(82.35％,28/34)(P＜0.01).Scores for primary and secondary symptoms and total scores dropped across all groups after treatment,with the combination groups having greater improvements(P＜0.05).MNCV and SNCV also increased in all treatment groups,especially in the combination groups,where the western medicine+Tangtong External Washing Formula+acupuncture group was better than the western medicine+acupuncture group and the western medicine+Tangtong External Washing Formula group(P＜0.05).Serum SOD,GSH-Px,NGF,and IGF increased,while MDA decreased in the treatment groups compared with those in the control group,with the most notable changes observed in the combination groups(P＜0.05).No significant difference was found in the incidence of adverse reactions among the four groups(P＞0.05).Conclusion In addition to conventional western medicine,the integration of acupuncture and Tangtong External Washing Formula would alleviate clinical symptoms,enhance peripheral nerve conduction velocity,and improve serum oxidative stress indices in DPN patients of cold coagulation and blood stasis.Moreover,this approach can al-so elevate levels of neurotrophic factors,demonstrating significant clinical effects and desirable safety.
万方数据
维普
