Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40813999›Full record

ArticleJournal of pharmaceutical health care and sciences2025

Therapeutic effects of crocin in alleviating diabetic neuropathy: a preliminary randomized triple-blind placebo-controlled trial.

Adeleh Sahebnasagh, Mohammad Ali Feizi, Saeed Hossein Khalilzadeh, Elahe Taghvaei, Fatemeh Saghafi

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of pharmaceutical health care and sciences, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Adeleh SahebnasaghDepartment of Internal Medicine, Clinical Research Center, Faculty of Medicine, North Khorasan University of Medical Sciences, Bojnurd, Iran.
Mohammad Ali FeiziPharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, School of Pharmacy, Student Research Committee, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences and Health Services, Yazd, Iran.
Saeed Hossein KhalilzadehDiabetes Research Center, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran.
Elahe TaghvaeiDepartment of Neurology, School of Medicine, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences and Health Services, Yazd, Iran.
Fatemeh SaghafiDepartment of Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences and Health Services, Yazd, Iran. saghafi.fa@gmail.com.

Funding

Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences 6586
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionDiabetic neuropathy is a prevalent and debilitating complication of type 2 diabetes, resulting in functional impairments. Crocin, a bioactive constituent of saffron (Crocus sativus), has long been utilized in traditional medicine for its potential therapeutic effects. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of Crocin in alleviating neuropathic symptoms in patients with type 2 diabetes.

methodsIn this triple-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial, patients with type 2 diabetes and confirmed peripheral neuropathy were randomly assigned to receive either 15 mg/day of Crocin or a matching placebo for 12 weeks. Neuropathic symptoms were assessed using the Total Symptom Score (TSS), Visual Analog Scale (VAS), and the Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument (MNSI) at baseline and at 3-week intervals.

resultsForty-two patients completed the study, with 21 participants in each group. By week 9, the Crocin group exhibited a significantly lower mean TSS (5.1 ± 1.39) compared to the placebo group (6.6 ± 1.00, P = 0.005). Similarly, VAS scores, reflecting pain intensity, were significantly reduced in the Crocin group at both weeks 6 and 9 (P = 0.019). MNSI scores at week 9 also favored the Crocin group (5.7 ± 1.1 vs. 6.8 ± 0.9, P = 0.03).

conclusionCrocin may offer promising therapeutic benefits in reducing pain and neuropathic symptoms in patients with type 2 diabetes. Its neuroprotective, antioxidant, and antihyperglycemic properties may contribute to these effects. While the findings support the potential beneficial effect of crocin in the management of diabetic neuropathy, further large-scale and more robust clinical trials are warranted to validate these results.

trial registrationhttps//irct.ir/ IRCT20190810044500N8, Registration date 01/01/2021.

Indexed as

Clinical trialCrocinDiabetes complicationsDiabetes mellitusDiabetic neuropathiesType 2

Identifiers

PMID40813999
PMCPMC12352001

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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.