ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Pharmacol.
Sec. Ethnopharmacology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fphar.2025.1648811
This article is part of the Research TopicHeart Failure Induced by Non-Cardiac TherapiesView all articles
Effects of plant extracts on patients with heart failure: A Network Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
Provisionally accepted
- Chinese People's Liberation Army Western Theater General Hospital, Chengdu, China
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Ethnopharmacological relevance: Heart failure is a major global health challenge. Traditional therapies have limitations, while recent studies highlight plant extracts' potential due to their medicinal properties and milder side effects. Objective: This study conducts a systematic review and network meta-analysis to assess therapeutic effects of plant extracts on heart failure patients, providing robust evidence for clinical practice. Materials and Methods: A comprehensive search of databases including PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library was performed. Studies were screened using predefined criteria to extract data and assess quality. Network meta-analysis enabled direct/indirect comparisons of multiple plant extracts' efficacy in heart failure intervention. Results: A total of 20 studies encompassing 2,077 patients were incorporated into the analysis. Astragalus extract demonstrated the highest efficacy in enhancing the 6-minute walk test (6-MWT) score (Surface Under the Cumulative Ranking Curve [SUCRA]: 90.70%) and reducing tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α ) levels (SUCRA: 74.4%). Shenfu extract exhibited superior efficacy in decreasing B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) values (SUCRA: 68.2%) and enhancing quality of life(QLQ) (SUCRA: 77.0%). Red ginseng extract was more effective in improving left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) (SUCRA: 77.9%), while Ginkgo biloba extract showed greater efficacy in ameliorating New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional classification (SUCRA: 76.5%). Despite these findings, heterogeneity and methodological issues in studies warrant further high-quality, large-scale RCTs to validate results and determine optimal plant extract use in heart failure treatment. Conclusions: Astragalus extract, red ginseng extract, ginkgo biloba extract, terminalia arjuna extract and shenfu extract have demonstrated significant efficacy in heart failure management, Selection of Optimal Plant Extracts Based on Enhanced Indicators of Cardiac Function Outcomes. Continued research through rigorous randomized controlled trials is essential to substantiate and refine the current evidence.
Keywords: Heart Failure, Plant extract, Network meta-analysis, Chinese patent medicine, Conventional therapy
Received: 17 Jun 2025; Accepted: 02 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Deng, Huang, Fu, Deng, Yu and Lan. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Ke Yu, yuke909@126.com
Cong Lan, conglan100@yeah.net
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