Table 1.
Characteristics of included studies
Study | Population | Sample size (C/E) | Age (years) | Intervention | Duration | Presented data | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
C | E | C | E | ||||||||||
Liu and Hu (2008) | Type 2 diabetes | 30/30 | 53.07 ± 8.51 | 52.00 ± 9.81 | Metformin 1.5 g/d | Metformin + berberine 0.9–1.5 g/d | 8 weeks | CRP | |||||
Xu et al. (2008) | Diabetic nephropathy | 40/40 | 51 ± 3.5a | 51 ± 3.5a | Pioglitazone 30 mg/d | Pioglitazone + berberine 0.9 g/d | 12 weeks | CRP | |||||
Zhang et al. (2008) | Type 2 diabetes and dyslipidemia | 58/52 | N/A | 51 ± 10 | Placebo | Berberine 1.0 g/d | 3 months | CRP, IL-6 | |||||
Liu et al. (2010) | Type 2 diabetes | 20/20 | 59.40 ± 15.40 | 62.80 ± 12.20 | Basic treatmentsb | Basic treatmentsb + berberine 0.9 g/d | 3 months | CRP, TNF-α, IL-6 | |||||
20/20 | 64.45 ± 14.40 | Basic treatmentsb + Rosiglitazone 4 mg/d | |||||||||||
Sheng and Xie (2010) | Type 2 diabetes | 30/30 | 51 ± 8 | 52 ± 11 | Glipizide 10 mg/d + metformin 1.5 g/d | Glipizide + metformin + berberine 1.5 g/d | 3 months | CRP, TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 | |||||
Zhang et al. (2010) | Acute coronary syndromes | 20/20 | 61.42 ± 8.60a | 61.42 ± 8.60a | Basic treatmentsb | Basic treatmentsb + berberine 0.9 g/d | 30 days | CRP | |||||
Zhu (2010) | Diabetic nephropathy | 48/44 | 66.69 ± 8.32 | 65.71 ± 8.41 | Irbesartan 0.15 g/d | Irbesartan + berberine 1.2 g/d | 12 weeks | CRP, TNF-α | |||||
Meng et al. (2011) | Type 2 diabetes | 30/30 | 53 ± 13.9 | 51 ± 13.3 | Insulin | Insulin + berberine 0.9 g/d | 12 weeks | TNF-α, IL-6 | |||||
Xiang et al. (2011) | Type 2 diabetes | 20/20 | N/A | N/A | Placebo | Berberine 1.2 g/d | 12 weeks | CRP, TNF-α, IL-6 | |||||
20/20 | N/A | Aspirin 0.1 g/d | |||||||||||
Zhou and Huang (2011) | Hyperlipidemia | 60/60 | N/A | N/A | No treatment | Berberine 0.9 g/d | 4 months | CRP | |||||
Deng et al. (2012) | Polycystic ovary syndrome and insulin resistance | 28/31 | 26.75 ± 2.62 | 25.74 ± 2.66 | Ethinylestradiol cyproterone 2 mg: 0.035 mg/d + placebo | Ethinylestradiol cyproterone + berberine 0.9 g/d | 3 menstrual cycles | CRP, TNF-α | |||||
Dou et al. (2012) | Obesity | 60/58 | 47.68 ± 8.40 | 48.42 ± 8.60 | Vitamin C 0.9 g/d | Berberine 0.9 g/d | 4 weeks | CRP | |||||
Liu and Wang (2012) | Ischemic heart disease and heart failure | 44/50 | 69.6 ± 8.2 | 67.5 ± 10.3 | Basic treatmentsb | Basic treatmentsb + berberine 0.9 g/d | 8 weeks | TNF-α | |||||
Yu et al. (2012) | Type 2 diabetes | 24/24 | 45.6 ± 5.4a | 45.6 ± 5.4a | Glibenclamide 5 mg/d | Exenatide 5 μg/d + berberine 0.9 g/d | 12 weeks | CRP | |||||
Zhou and Huang (2012) | Obesity and type 2 diabetes | 46/46 | 46.67 ± 8.52a | 46.67 ± 8.52a | Metformin 1.5 g/d | Metformin + berberine 0.6 g/d | 12 weeks | CRP | |||||
Shu (2014) | Type 2 diabetes | 32/32 | 61.21 ± 13.52 | 62.80 ± 12.20 | Insulin | Insulin + berberine 0.9 g/d | 24 weeks | CRP | |||||
Zhang et al. (2014) | Cerebral infarction | 30/30 | 54.1 ± 4.6 | 55.6 ± 5.2 | Basic treatmentsb | Basic treatmentsb + atorvastatin + berberine 0.4 g/d | 4 weeks | CRP | |||||
30/30 | 54.3 ± 4.9 | Basic treatmentsb + atorvastatin 40 mg/d | |||||||||||
Dai et al. (2015) | Hypertension and type 2 diabetes | 33/39 | 53.06 ± 10.36 | 55.31 ± 11.79 | Basic treatmentsb | Basic treatmentsb + berberine 0.3 g/d | 2 years | CRP | |||||
Chen et al. (2015) | Coronary artery disease and hypercholesteremia | 40/40 | 51.5 ± 10.4 | 52.1 ± 9.8 | Simvastatin 20 mg/d | Simvastatin 10 mg/d + berberine 0.5 g/d | 1 month | CRP | |||||
Zhan et al. (2015) | Type 2 diabetes with hyperlipidemia | 40/40 | 51.6 ± 3.8a | 51.6 ± 3.8a | Basic treatmentsb + metformin 1.5 g/d | Basic treatmentsb + metformin + berberine 0.6 g/d | 3 months | CRP | |||||
Zhu et al. (2015) | Acute ischemic stroke | 28/16 | 66.25 ± 8.83 | 63.31 ± 8.10 | Atorvastatin 20 mg/d + aspirin 0.1 g/d | Atorvastatin 20 mg/d + aspirin + berberine 0.4 g/d | 3 months | CRP | |||||
11/16 | 66.45 ± 8.86 | Atorvastatin 40 mg/d + aspirin 0.1 g/d | |||||||||||
Li et al. (2016) | Insulin resistance with schizophrenia | 33/31 | 40.18 ± 12.21 | 40.14 ± 9.40 | Risperidone 3.85 ± 0.94 mg/d + placebo | Risperidone 3.77 ± 0.85 mg/d + berberine 0.9 g/d | 12 weeks | TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 | |||||
Sun (2016) | Obesity and type 2 diabetes | 48/48 | 52.37 ± 4.48 | 52.32 ± 4.45 | Sitagliptin 0.1 g/d | Sitagliptin + berberine 0.9 g/d | 12 weeks | CRP, IL-6 | |||||
Wang (2016) | Type 2 diabetes | 25/25 | N/A | N/A | Basic treatmentsb | Basic treatmentsb + berberine 0.3 g/d | 3 months | CRP, IL-6 | |||||
Zhou et al. (2016) | Obesity and type 2 diabetes | 30/30 | 55.6 ± 12.7 | 56.4 ± 10.9 | Basic treatmentsb | Basic treatmentsb + berberine 0.6 g/d | 3 months | CRP, TNF-α, IL-6 | |||||
Chen et al. (2017) | Metabolic syndrome with renal damage | 10/10 | 40.20 ± 5.89 | 38.70 ± 10.3 | Losartan 0.1 g/d | Losartan + berberine 0.9 g/d | 8 weeks | TNF-α | |||||
Dong et al. (2017) | Type 2 diabetes | 49/49 | 51.34 ± 4.43 | 52.23 ± 4.41 | Metformin 1.5 g/d | Metformin + berberine 0.9 g/d | 12 weeks | CRP, TNF-α, IL-6 | |||||
Li (2017a) | Metabolic syndrome with schizophrenia | 42/40 | 42.14 ± 11.61 | 41.86 ± 10.22 | Olanzapine + metformin 0.75 g/d | Olanzapine + berberine 0.9 g/d | 12 weeks | TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 | |||||
Li (2017b) | Obesity and type 2 diabetes | 30/30 | 51.24 ± 3.91 | 50.54 ± 3.78 | Sitagliptin 0.1 g/d | Sitagliptin + berberine 0.9 g/d | 3 months | CRP, IL-6 | |||||
Li (2017c) | Acute cerebral ischemic stroke | 60/60 | 61.94 ± 3.77 | 62.84 ± 4.67 | Basic treatmentsb | Basic treatmentsb + berberine 0.9 g/d | 14 days | CRP, IL-6 | |||||
Sun (2017) | Type 2 diabetes | 91/91 | 58.34 ± 11.21 | 58.95 ± 10.57 | Metformin 1.5 g/d | Metformin + berberine 0.09 g/d | 8 weeks | CRP, TNF-α, IL-6 | |||||
Yuan et al. (2017) | Type 2 diabetes | 41/41 | 65.78 ± 8.96 | 66.13 ± 9.06 | Glimepiride 1 mg/d | Glimepiride + Gegen Qinlian Decoction + berberine 0.6 g/d | 2 weeks | CRP, TNF-α | |||||
Bai et al. (2018) | Hyperlipidemia | 75/75 | 63.38 ± 7.24 | 63.29 ± 7.85 | Ezetimibe 10 mg/d | Ezetimibe + berberine 0.4 g/d | 1 month | CRP | |||||
Du and Zhang (2018) | Coronary heart disease | 12/18 | 66 ± 10 | 60 ± 6 | Basic treatmentsb | Basic treatmentsb + berberine 0.9 g/d | 3 months | CRP, TNF-α, IL-6 | |||||
Fan et al. (2018) | Type 2 diabetes | 40/40 | 52.71 ± 7.89 | 53.27 ± 8.15 | Metformin 1.5 g/d | Metformin + berberine 1.5 g/d | 3 months | CRP, TNF-α, IL-6 | |||||
He et al. (2018) | Diarrhea with hyperlipidemia | 62/62 | 55.16 ± 6.79 | 56.78 ± 6.74 | Basic treatmentsb + levofloxacin 0.5 g/d | Basic treatmentsb + berberine 0.36 g/d | 8 weeks | CRP, TNF-α, IL-6 | |||||
He (2018) | Diabetic nephropathy | 52/52 | 56.4 ± 7.3 | 56.2 ± 7.5 | Basic treatmentsb valsartan 80 mg/d | Basic treatmentsb + valsartan + berberine 1.2 g/d | 12 weeks | CRP, TNF-α | |||||
Huang et al. (2018) | Type 2 diabetes | 65/65 | 67.16 ± 8.54 | 66.09 ± 8.67 | Insulin | Insulin + berberine 1.8 g/d | 1 month | TNF-α | |||||
Li and Deng (2018) | Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease | 53/53 | 74.68 ± 4.32 | 74.07 ± 5.16 | Polyene phosphatidyl choline 1.368 g/d | Polyene phosphatidyl choline + berberine 0.36 g/d | 12 weeks | TNF-α | |||||
Lie et al. (2018a) | Polycystic ovary syndrome | 38/38 | N/A | N/A | Ethinylestradiol cyproterone 2 mg: 0.035 mg/d + placebo | Ethinylestradiol cyproterone + berberine 0.9 g/d | 21 days | CRP | |||||
Lie et al. (2018b) | Type 2 diabetes | 57/57 | 57 ± 12 | 53 ± 15 | Basic treatmentsb | Basic treatmentsb + berberine 1.2 g/d | 6 months | CRP | |||||
Lu et al. (2018) | Acute ischemic cerebral infarction | 60/60 | 60.7 ± 5.2 | 59.9 ± 6.1 | Basic treatmentsb + rosuvastatin 10 mg/d | Basic treatmentsb + rosuvastatin + berberine 0.9 g/d | N/A | CRP | |||||
Ning (2018) | Acute cerebral infarction | 39/39 | 61.00 ± 1.26 | 60.00 ± 1.47 | Basic treatmentsb + atorvastatin 40 mg/d | Basic treatmentsb + atorvastatin + berberine 0.9 g/d | 15 days | CRP, IL-6 | |||||
Wang et al. (2018) | Metabolic syndrome with renal damage | 10/10 | 35.62 ± 1.43 | 37.30 ± 1.96 | Basic treatmentsb | Basic treatmentsb + berberine 0.9 g/d | 8 weeks | IL-6 | |||||
Yang et al. (2018) | Symptomatic atherosclerotic intracranial artery stenosis | 60/60 | 61.98 ± 4.09 | 61.98 ± 4.09 | Simvastatin 40 mg/d + aspirin 0.1 g/d | Simvastatin + aspirin + berberine 1.2 g/d | 6 months | CRP | |||||
Cao and Su (2019) | Metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance | 40/40 | 65.6 ± 1.8 | 65.5 ± 1.8 | Basic treatmentsb | Basic treatmentsb + berberine 1.2 g/d | 1 month | CRP, TNF-α, IL-6 | |||||
Lai et al. (2019) | Polycystic ovary syndrome and insulin resistance | 48/48 | 28.48 ± 6.34 | 29.53 ± 5.21 | Metformin 1 g/d | Peikun pills 18 g/d + berberine 0.9 g/d | 3 months | CRP, TNF-α, IL-6 | |||||
Lan et al. (2019) | Hypertensive atherosclerosis | 40/40 | 63.3 ± 6.2 | 64.2 ± 5.5 | Basic treatmentsb | Basic treatmentsb + berberine 0.9 g/d | 8 weeks | TNF-α, IL-6 | |||||
40/40 | 65.1 ± 5.0 | Basic treatments + berberine 1.8 g/d | |||||||||||
Xie and Huang (2019) | Diabetic nephropathy | 53/53 | 61.3 ± 1.2 | 62.1 ± 1.6 | Basic treatmentsb + tripterygium wilfordii polyglycosides 60 mg/d | Basic treatmentsb + tripterygium wilfordii polyglycosides + berberine 1.5 g/d | 90 days | TNF-α, IL-6 | |||||
Yang and Yin (2019) | Coronary heart disease | 30/40 | 61.37 ± 8.79 | 60.63 ± 8.53 | Basic treatmentsb + rosuvastatin 10 mg/d | Basic treatmentsb + berberine 0.9 g/d | 4 weeks | CRP, TNF-α | |||||
Ye and You (2019) | Acute ischemic cerebral infarction | 33/33 | 56.65 ± 7.12 | 57.36 ± 6.79 | Rosuvastatin 10 mg/d | Rosuvastatin + berberine 0.9 g/d | 12 days | CRP, IL-6 | |||||
Yang et al. (2020) | Type 2 diabetes | 96/96 | 49.7 ± 7.4 | 49.9 ± 7.8 | Metformin 2 g/d | Metformin + berberine 1.5 g/d | 3 months | TNF-α, IL-6 |
N/A The date was not reported, CRP C-reactive protein, TNF-α tumor necrosis factor-alpha, IL-6 interleukin-6, IL-1β interleukin-1 beta, C control group, E experimental group, X g/d X g daily
aOnly demographic characteristics of the total sample population were reported
bDifferent patients used different drugs for basic treatments