Effect of Herbal Preparation Canephron® N on the Course of Diabetic Nephropathy in Patients with Diabetes Mellitus Type 2: Results of a Comparative Cohort Study
The Objective of the Study. Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a severe and common complication of diabetes mellitus, leading to end-stage renal failure in 30 % of patients with diabetes mellitus. The first manifestation of DN is microalbuminuria, which arises due to a decrease in glomerular filtration barrier function for albumin. In violation of this function, key roles belong to reactive oxygen species, inflammatory cytokines and growth factors. Experimental Procedures. In this study, patients with DN received complex herbal preparation Canephron® N to study its effect on the dynamics of microalbuminuria and the overall status of the antioxidant defense system. An open study involving 59 patients has been carried out to compare the efficacy of Canephron® N in conjunction with standard antidiabetic therapy and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor, with standard therapy and treatment with ACE inhibitor alone. Results. After 6-month therapy, in the study group microalbuminuria level significantly decreased compared with the control group. Canephron® N has a positive impact on the status of antioxidant defense and levels of lipid peroxidation. Furthermore, the content of the liver transaminases has not changed. Conclusions. Given the excellent tolerability of Canephron® N, the findings allow us to recommend conclusively this herbal medicine to the patients with DN as additional therapy.