Efficacy and safety of berberine for premature ventricular contractions: a meta-analysis and systematic review of randomized controlled trials

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#humans #drugs-chinese-herbal #berberine #randomized-controlled-trials-as-topic #china

Efficacy and safety of berberine for premature ventricular contractions: a meta-analysis and systematic review of randomized controlled trials

Qiao et al., 2023 | Pharm Biol | Meta Analysis

Citation

Qiao Meng, Lei Chao, ... Wang Zhifei. Efficacy and safety of berberine for premature ventricular contractions: a meta-analysis and systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Pharm Biol. 2023-Dec;61(1):1474-1483. doi:10.1080/13880209.2023.2248167

Abstract

CONTEXT: Berberine is a potential drug that can effectively treat cardiovascular diseases, including premature ventricular contractions (PVCs). OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to assess the efficacy and safety of berberine for PVCs. METHODS: The literature was searched using PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), China Science and Technology Journal Database (VIP), Wanfang, and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM) for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) from inception to October 1, 2022. The risk of bias was assessed using the Revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials, and the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) system was adopted to assess the quality of evidence. RESULTS: Ten RCTs with 896 participants were included in the meta-analysis. The results showed that compared to antiarrhythmic drugs (AD), berberine (BE) combined with AD had a higher effective rate (RR = 1.26; 95% CI:1.12, 1.42; p = 0.0001) with no significant incidence of adverse reactions (RR = 0.93; 95% CI:0.33, 2.57; p = 0.88), and BE alone had no significant difference in effective rate (RR = 0.91; 95% CI:0.77, 1.07; p = 0.23), and a lower incidence of adverse reactions (RR = 0.38; 95% CI:0.15, 0.97; p = 0.04) and recurrence rate (RR = 0.40; 95% CI:0.18, 0.88; p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that BE is an effective and safe adjunctive method for PVCs. In addition, BE is recommended for patients with PVCs who had severe adverse reactions after administrating AD as an alternative therapy.

Key Findings

Ten RCTs with 896 participants were included in the meta-analysis. The results showed that compared to antiarrhythmic drugs (AD), berberine (BE) combined with AD had a higher effective rate (RR = 1.26; 95% CI:1.12, 1.42; p = 0.0001) with no significant incidence of adverse reactions (RR = 0.93; 95% CI:0.33, 2.57; p = 0.88), and BE alone had no significant difference in effective rate (RR = 0.91; 95% CI:0.77, 1.07; p = 0.23), and a lower incidence of adverse reactions (RR = 0.38; 95% CI:0.15, 0.9

Outcomes Measured

  • Requires manual extraction

Population

Field Value
Population pvcs who had severe
Sample Size 896
Age Range See abstract
Condition See abstract

MeSH Terms

  • Humans
  • Drugs, Chinese Herbal
  • Berberine
  • Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
  • China

Evidence Classification

  • Level: Meta Analysis
  • Publication Types: Meta-Analysis, Systematic Review, Journal Article
  • Vertical: berberine

Provenance

Source extracted via PubMed E-utilities API on 2026-04-09