ArticleNeural regeneration research2018
Efficacy of epalrestat plus α-lipoic acid combination therapy
Article in Neural regeneration research, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 19 citations in OpenAlex.
- [Effectiveness of tibial transverse transport combined with modified neurolysis in treatment of diabetic foot ulcers].Zhongguo xiu fu chong jian wai ke za zhi = Zhongguo xiufu chongjian waike zazhi = Chinese journal of reparative and reconstructive surgery · 2023Trial
- Targeting Oxidative Stress and Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Diabetic Neuropathy: Mechanisms and Therapeutic Opportunities.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Alpha-Lipoic Acid in Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy: Addressing the Challenges and Complexities Surrounding a 70-Year-Old Compound.Current issues in molecular biology · 2025Review
- From bench to bedside: therapeutic potential of natural antioxidants in diabetic neuropathy.Frontiers in cell and developmental biology · 2025Review
- Transgenic zebrafish as a model for investigating diabetic peripheral neuropathy: investigation of the role of insulin signaling.Frontiers in cellular neuroscience · 2024Article
- Combination therapy is it in the future for successfully treating peripheral diabetic neuropathy?Frontiers in endocrinology · 2024Review
- Treatment for Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy: What have we Learned from Animal Models?Current diabetes reviews · 2022Review
- Current concepts in the management of diabetic polyneuropathy.Journal of diabetes investigation · 2021Review
- Antispasmodic Drug Drofenine as an Inhibitor of Kv2.1 Channel Ameliorates Peripheral Neuropathy in Diabetic Mice.iScience · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo evaluate the efficacy of α-lipoic acid (ALA) plus epalrestat combination therapy in the treatment of diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN). DATA SOURCES: The electronic databases of PubMed, Medline, Embase, the Cochrane Library, the Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, the Wanfang Database and the Chinese Biomedical Database were used to retrieve relevant studies without language restrictions. The search was conducted from the inception of each database to 7 October 2016. The key terms were (diabetic peripheral neuropathy or diabetic neuropathy or DPN) AND (α-lipoic acid or lipoic acid or thioctic acid) AND epalrestat. DATA SELECTION: All of the eligible studies met the following inclusion criteria: (1) Randomized controlled trials that compared efficacy and safety of epalrestat plus ALA combination therapy versus epalrestat or ALA monotherapy in patients with DPN. (2) The minimum duration of treatment was 2 weeks. (3) The DPN patients were diagnosed using the World Health Organization standardized type 2 diabetes mellitus and DPN criteria. (4) Studies contained at least one measure that could reflect the efficacy of the drug and nerve conduction velocities. Studies in which the control group used epalrestat or ALA combined with other drugs were excluded. Statistical analyses were performed using STATA software for meta-analysis. OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcomes were the therapeutic efficacy, median motor nerve conduction velocity (MNCV), median sensory nerve conduction velocity (SNCV), peroneal MNCV and peroneal SNCV.
resultsTwenty studies with 1894 DPN patients were included, including 864 patients in the ALA plus epalrestat group, 473 in the ALA group and 557 in the epalrestat group. The efficacy of ALA plus epalrestat combination therapy was superior to ALA and epalrestat monotherapies (RR = 1.29, 95% CI: 1.21-1.38; RR = 1.43, 95% CI: 1.34-1.54, respectively). ALA plus epalrestat combination therapy also significantly improved median MNCV (WMD = 5.41, 95% CI: 2.07-8.75), median SNCV (WMD = 5.87, 95% CI: 1.52-10.22), peroneal MNCV (WMD = 5.59, 95% CI: 2.70-8.47) and peroneal SNCV (WMD = 4.57, 95% CI: 2.46-6.68).
conclusion: ALA plus epalrestat combination therapy was superior to ALA and epalrestat monotherapies for clinical efficacy and nerve conduction velocities in patients with DPN.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.