Therapeutic effects of Astragali Radix on diabetic foot: a clinical randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Objective: This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of Astragalus on diabetic foot, as well as the effects on the levels of serum VEGF, bFGF, MMP-2, and inflammatory factors in patients, and to provide a scientific basis for the treatment of diabetic foot with the traditional Chinese medicine Astragalus . Methods: By taking 100 cases of diabetic foot patients who were admitted to the metabolic internal medicine division of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine and met the criteria of natriuresis during April 2021–April 2023 as the study subjects, and according to the random number method, all patients were divided into the control group and the observation group, with 50 cases in each group. In the control group, only basic treatment was carried out, while in the observation group, Astragalus injection was added based on the control group. After 8 weeks of treatment, the clinical efficacy, serum VEGF, bFGF, MMP-2, and inflammatory factor levels of the patients in the two groups were compared, respectively. Results: The total clinical efficiency of patients in the observation group was significantly better than that in the control group ( χ 2 =5.01, P < 0.05). The inflammatory factor indexes decreased substantially in both groups. However, the decrease in the observation group was significantly higher than in the control group ( P < 0.05). Compared with the control group, serum VEGF and bFGF were considerably higher in the observation group, while MMP-2 was significantly lower ( P < 0.05). Conclusion: Astragali Radix is clinically effective in the diabetic foot, which can induce vascular endothelial repair and reduce the level of inflammatory factors, to improve the inflammatory state of patients and promote the restoration of ulcerated wound tissue, which is worth promoting in clinical practice.