Guanxinning tablets, a traditional Chinese medicine, have shown promise in reducing residual inflammation in patients with stable coronary artery disease (SCAD) when used in conjunction with standard treatment strategies. A recent study published in Dove Medical Press investigated the efficacy and safety of Guanxinning in SCAD patients, revealing significant improvements in inflammation-related indicators and endothelial function.
Study Design and Methods
The prospective, randomized, single-blind endpoint trial enrolled 50 patients with SCAD. Participants were randomly divided into an intervention group receiving Guanxinning tablets in addition to standard ASCVD treatment and a control group receiving standard treatment alone. The primary efficacy outcomes included inflammation-related indicators such as interleukin-2 (IL-2), IL-4, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP). Secondary outcomes assessed endothelial function, blood lipid levels, carotid intima-media thickness, angina pectoris scores, and TCM syndrome differentiation scores. Safety outcomes included monitoring of white blood cell lines, anemia indicators, bleeding indicators, liver function, and renal function.
Key Findings
The study demonstrated that the combination of Guanxinning and standard treatment led to a more significant decrease in the levels of IL-2, IL-6, TNF-α, and hs-CRP compared to the control group (p<0.05). Additionally, the intervention group exhibited a greater reduction in total cholesterol (Tch) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels. Endothelial function-related indicators, including vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), nitric oxide (NO), and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ), also showed more significant improvements in the Guanxinning group.
"These results suggest that Guanxinning may offer additional benefits in reducing residual cardiovascular risk by targeting inflammation," the researchers noted.
Safety Profile
Importantly, the study found no significant differences in safety outcomes between the two groups. There were no adverse effects on white blood cell count, liver function, renal function, or bleeding risk associated with Guanxinning treatment.
Clinical Implications
The findings suggest that Guanxinning could be a valuable adjunct therapy for SCAD patients who continue to experience residual inflammation despite standard treatment. The anti-inflammatory effects of Guanxinning, attributed to its key ingredients like tanshinone and rosmarinic acid from Salvia miltiorrhiza and Z-ligustrazine and ferulic acid from Ligusticum chuanxiong, may help to further reduce cardiovascular risk.
Limitations
The study's limitations include its single-center design, small sample size, and relatively short follow-up period. The researchers acknowledge the potential for ascertainment and reporting biases and emphasize the need for larger, multicenter trials with longer follow-up to validate these findings.
Conclusion
Overall, the study provides evidence that Guanxinning tablets, when combined with standard ASCVD treatment, can effectively reduce residual inflammation, improve blood lipid profiles and endothelial function, and alleviate chest pain symptoms in patients with SCAD. The favorable safety profile of Guanxinning makes it a potentially valuable addition to the management of SCAD, particularly for patients with persistent inflammatory risk.
