Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research

Original Research Article | OPEN ACCESS

Effect of Wuling capsule on patients with generalized anxiety disorder

Zhigang Guo¹, An Jia¹, Tieshan Zhang², Huixi Li², Shan Chen¹

¹Medical School, Huanghe Science and Technology College, Zhengzhou, China; ²Affiliated Hospital of Huanghe Science and Technology College, No. 666, Zijingshan South Road, Zhengzhou 450061, China.

For correspondence:- Shan Chen Email: chen.shan@hl5y.com Tel:+8637168782349

Accepted: 5 May 2023 Published: 30 May 2023

Citation: Guo Z, Jia A, Zhang T, Li H, Chen S. Effect of Wuling capsule on patients with generalized anxiety disorder. Trop J Pharm Res 2023; 22(5):1051-1056 doi: 10.4314/tjpr.v22i5.17

© 2023 The authors.
This is an Open Access article that uses a funding model which does not charge readers or their institutions for access and distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0) and the Budapest Open Access Initiative (http://www.budapestopenaccessinitiative.org/read), which permit unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited..

Abstract

Purpose: To investigate the effectiveness of Wuling capsule for the treatment of patients diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).

Methods: Patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) admitted in Affiliated Hospital of Huanghe Science and Technology College, Zhengzhou, China were treated with the Chinese traditional patent medicine, Wuling capsule. A self-control study was conducted before and after treatment. Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA), Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD), and Global Rating Scale (CGI-SI) were used to evaluate the symptoms of anxiety and depression suffered by GAD patients before and after treatment. Inflammatory factors (IL-6, IL-8, and IFN-γ), superoxide dismutase (SOD), γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), and glutamic acid (Glu) levels were assessed in the peripheral blood of patients using ELISA before and after treatment.

Results: A total of 58 patients with GAD completed 8 weeks of fixed-dose Wuling capsule treatment. After treatment, total scores on the HAMA scale, HAMD scale, and CGI scale significantly improved compared with baseline, and the differences before and after treatment were statistically significant (p < 0.01). The levels of inflammatory factors (IL-6, IL-8, and IFN-γ) in the peripheral blood of patients decreased significantly (p < 0.05). SOD and GABA/Glu increased after treatment (p < 0.05). Nine patients (15.5 %) had mild reactions, but no patients withdrew from the study as result of adverse reactions.

Conclusion: The Chinese traditional patent medicine, Wuling capsule, is effective in the treatment of GAD patients with high safety. Future studies will need to explore the specific biological pathways and physiological processes that are involved in the treatment of GAD using Wuling capsule

Keywords: Generalized anxiety disorder, Wuling capsule, Anxiety, Depression