Abstract
BACKGROUND: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a chronic liver disease characterized by intrahepatic accumulation and is closely associated with metabolic problems. Some studies have indicated that Chaihu-Shugan-San (CSS) may have a positive effect on NAFLD, but robust evidence-based research to substantiate the application of CSS is scarce. A meta-analysis was conducted to assess the clinical efficacy and safety of CSS in the treatment for NAFLD. METHODS: The literature reporting CSS in NAFLD was searched from inception to October 2023 in in 7 Chinese or English databases. Studies were screened and incorporated based on predefined criteria. Data were extracted and quality was assessed independently by 2 researchers according to the Cochrane risk of bias tools. The changes in outcomes were analyzed using the mean difference (MD) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) with a random- or fixed-effects model to examine the effect of CSS. RevMan5.4 software was used to perform meta-analyses, and the meta package of R 4.0.0 software was used for publication bias analysis. RESULTS: A total 17 studies involving 1576 participants were screened for meta-analysis. There was high heterogeneity among studies for all continuous outcomes. Compared with common treatments, CSS could decrease aspartate-aminotransferase (MD = -12.02, 95% CI [-15.97, -8.07]), alanine-aminotransferase (MD = -10.89, 95% CI [-16.35, -5.43]), triglyceride and total cholesterol levels. In addition, CSS may increase the high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. And, CSS was associated with a lower incidence of adverse events (RR = 0.79, 95% CI [0.33, 1.91]). CONCLUSION: Current evidence shows that single or combined use of CSS is effective for NAFLD liver enzymes and blood lipids. Nevertheless, it is challenging to reach a conclusive determination owing to significant heterogeneity and ambiguous risk of bias in some trials. Therefore, more high-quality evidence is required for the clinical implementation of CSS.