Efficacy and safety of Resina Draconis for wound repair in the treatment of diabetic foot ulcer: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Background and purpose: Resina Draconis (RD) is widely used to treat topical skin ulcers. However, its effect on diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) remains unknown. The present meta-analysis aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of RD for wound healing in DFU treatment. Methods: Literature searches were conducted with databases including PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, the China National Knowledge Infrastructure, the Wanfang Database, the Database for Chinese Technical Periodicals, and the China Biology Medicine Disc. Relevant studies were selected based on specified inclusion and exclusion criteria. Software RevMan 5.4 was used for study selection, quality assessment, and data analysis, while the Cochrane Risk of Bias (RoB) 2.0 tool was used to assess RoB. Results: Nine eligible randomized controlled trials (RCTs), involving 679 patients, were included in this review. The results showed that the healing time of the RD group was shorter than that of the control group (P < 0.00001), while the RD group also presented a higher healing rate (P < 0.0001), a higher rate of ulcer area reduction (P = 0.0005), and a higher rate in the patients with a reduced Wagner grade (P = 0.002). Simulta-neously, a lower frequency of dressing changes (P < 0.00001) and a shorter length of hospital stays (P < 0.00001) are the characteristics of the RD group as well. Conclusion: The treatment with RD is a safe and effective solution for DFU, and its combination with conventional treatment can improve the healing rate of DFU, reduce healing time, and inhibit further development. However, owing to the limited quality and quantity of included studies, further high-quality research is necessary to support these conclusions.