Efficacy and safety of Tripterygium wilfordii Hook. f. for oral lichen planus: Evidence from 18 randomized controlled trials

Glycosides from the roots of Tripterygium wilfordii Hook. f. are used for the treatment of oral lichen planus (OLP), a chronic inflammatory disease affecting the oral mucosa. To investigate the effectiveness and safety of Tripterygium glycosides (TGs) for OLP treatment, we conducted a systematic review of 18 randomized controlled trials, comprising 1,339 participants, from international and Chinese databases. We evaluated outcomes of TGs alone or in combination with conventional treatments. In combination with topical glucocorticoids (TGCs), including triamcinolone acetonide and prednisone, the total effectiveness rate (risk ratio [RR], 1.17; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.09-1.25; p < .00001), symptom score reducing index (mean difference [MD], -2.44; 95% CI, -3.12 to -1.77; p < .0001), and visual analog scale score (MD, -1.61; 95% CI, -2.22 to -1.00; p < .0001) were significantly improved. Patients treated with TGs combined with TGCs experienced lower recurrence rates (RR, 0.37; 95% CI, 0.18-0.76; p = 0.007). The occurrence of adverse events was not significantly different between the TGs groups and controls. The combination of TG and TGCs improved clinical efficacy and reduced recurrence without increasing the risk of adverse events. A high-quality multicenter clinical study is needed to corroborate these findings.