(366) efficacy of nutraceuticals in the treatment of erectile dysfunction: a network meta-analysis
Abstract
We evaluated the effects of different nutraceutical formulations widely available worldwide as alternative treatment strategies in improving erectile function in men with erectile dysfunction (ED) using a network meta-analysis (NMA) approach.
A search of PubMed, Scopus, Cinahl, and Cochrane Library was performed, limited to studies using IIEF-score, published through September 2023. To facilitate the efficacy rating for individual nutraceutical treatments, we excluded studies in which more than three different molecules were used in combination in the same group. We performed direct pairwise meta-analyses and then a frequentist random-effects NMA to incorporate estimates from direct and indirect comparisons. The surface area under the cumulative classification curve (SUCRA) expresses the percentage of effectiveness of each treatment relative to an “ideal” treatment, using values range from 0 to 100%.
The included 16 RCTs investigated 13 nutraceutical preparations. At the NMA forest plot (Figure 1), when compared with placebo, significant improvements in IIEF score were induced by L-arginine, acetil L-carnitine (ALC) + propionil L-carnitine (PLC), L-arginine + Tadalafil, ALC + PLC + Sildenafil. Among the different nutraceutics, the association between ALC, PLC and sildenafil was associated to the highest SUCRA (0.96), followed by the association between L-arginine and Tadalafil (0.84), ALC + PLC (0.79) and L-arginine (0.55).
In the context of the widespread ineffectiveness of…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a meta-analysis, done in people. Its evidence level is 1 of 5 (Highest · pooled evidence). Pooled evidence from several studies sits at the top of the evidence pyramid.
Read the paper
Related studies
- Antioxidant efficacy and the upregulation of Nrf2-mediated HO-1 expression by (+)-lariciresinol, a lignan isolated from Rubia philippinensis, through the activation of p38
- Anti-influenza virus activity of green tea by-products in vitro and efficacy against influenza virus infection in chickens
- Therapeutic Potential of Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) and MSC-Derived Extracellular Vesicles for the Treatment of Spinal Cord Injury
- The intratumoral administration of ferucarbotran conjugated with doxorubicin improved therapeutic effect by magnetic hyperthermia combined with pharmacotherapy in a hepatocellular carcinoma model
- Enhanced anticancer efficacy of TRAIL-conjugated and odanacatib-loaded PLGA nanoparticles in TRAIL resistant cancer
- In vivo tracking of bioorthogonally labeled T-cells for predicting therapeutic efficacy of adoptive T-cell therapy
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.