Preclinical Therapeutic Potential of Peristrophe roxburghiana: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

This systematic review and meta-analysis assessed the preclinical therapeutic potential of Peristrophe roxburghiana extracts (PREs). Among the 46 screened articles, 12 met the inclusion criteria and were quantitatively analyzed. The pooled standardized mean differences (SMDs) between the PRE treatment and control groups were calculated to investigate the antioxidant, biocompatible, anticancer, and antihypertensive effects. PRE exhibited measurable antioxidant activity, with low pooled IC50 values for DPPH (3.57 [0.96; 13.34] μg/mL), ABTS (91.96 [47.30; 178.78] μg/mL), and FRAP (63.39 [0.29; 13,992] μmol Fe2+/g extract). Biocompatibility analyses did not indicate a statistically significant reduction in the viability of normal cell lines. By contrast, the PRE treatment was associated with reduced cell viability in cancer cells (SMD = 2.28 [0.54, 4.03], I2 = 63%). PRE treatment effectively improved the pathological outcomes in L-NAME-induced hypertensive rat models, including reductions in blood pressure parameters and favorable modulation of oxidative stress-related biomarkers. Although several comparisons showed substantial heterogeneity, subgroup and meta-regression analyses identified differences in the methodological approaches (extraction methods, raw materials, and geographical regions) as major contributors. Overall, these findings support the preclinical therapeutic potential of PREs and provide a scientific basis for future mechanistic and clinical studies.