Meta-analysis of the anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory effects of hypoglycaemic plant-derived medicines

Background The pivotal role of oxidative stress and inflammation in the pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has been firmly established. However, the evidence concerning hypoglycaemic medicinal plants' antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects remains inconclusive due to inconsistencies in prior studies. To address this gap, our study aims to perform a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to consolidate previous research findings in this field. Methods We conducted a comprehensive search in the PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Scopus databases to identify relevant English randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Our study adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. All eligible studies that evaluated concurrently the antioxidative and anti-inflammatory effects of hypoglycaemic plant-derived supplements on type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) were included in the meta-analysis. The meta-analysis itself was carried out using both fixed and random effects models to synthesize the findings from the selected studies. Results Our study included 47 trials with a total of 2636 participants, both male and female, aged between 20 and 79 years, diagnosed with prediabetes, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), or metabolic syndrome. The meta-analysis revealed that plant-derived treatments, compared to placebos or other medicines, significantly improved oxidative stress (SMD = − 0.36, 95% CI − 0.64 to − 0.09), inflammation (SMD = − 0.47, 95% CI − 0.63 to − 0.31), total antioxidant capacity (SMD = 0.46, 95% CI 0.16–0.75), and antioxidant enzyme activity (SMD = 1.80, 95% CI 1.26–2.33). The meta-regression analysis showed that treatment duration exceeding 8 weeks significantly impacted the heterogeneity of the oxidative stress data. Conclusions Several hypoglycaemic plant-based treatments appear to positively affect T2DM patients by concurrently lowering oxidative stress and inflammatory indicators and boosting antioxidant enzyme activity. Clinical Trail Registry PROSPERO ID: CRD42021226147.