Renal protective effects of oral Achillea millefolium in patients with type ۲ diabetes: A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial

Background: Diabetic kidney disease is a highly prevalent and serious long-term complication of Type ۲ Diabetes Mellitus (T۲DM). Phytotherapeutic interventions are increasingly explored as adjunctive therapies. Achillea millefolium (AM), a traditional medicinal plant, has been postulated to possess renoprotective properties.Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the efficacy and renoprotective effects of AM supplementation on serum urea and creatinine levels in patients with T۲DM as an adjunct therapy.Methods: In this double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial (IRCT۲۰۲۳۰۶۱۲۰۵۸۴۵۹N۱), we enrolled ۶۰ patients with T۲DM. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either ۵۰۰ mg/day of an AM capsule (n=۳۰) or an identically appearing placebo (cellulose) capsule (n=۳۰) for three months. Serum urea and creatinine concentrations were measured at baseline and after the intervention. Results: Following the three-month intervention, the AM group exhibited significant within-group reductions in both serum creatinine (from ۱.۱۷ ± ۰.۳۶ mg/dL to ۰.۸۴ ± ۰.۱۵ mg/dL; p < ۰.۰۰۰۱) and serum urea (from ۳۷.۷ ± ۱۰.۰۲ mg/dL to ۳۰.۹۳ ± ۶.۱۲ mg/dL; p < ۰.۰۰۰۱). In the placebo group, changes in these parameters were not statistically significant. However, the between-group analysis revealed that the post-intervention reductions in serum creatinine and urea in the AM group were not statistically significantly different from those observed in the placebo group (p = ۰.۱۱۷ and p = ۰.۲۲۱, respectively).Conclusion: Our results demonstrate that a three-month supplementation with ۵۰۰ mg/day of AM significantly reduces serum creatinine and urea levels from baseline in patients with T۲DM. However, the lack of a statistically significant between-group difference compared to placebo tempers the conclusion of efficacy, suggesting that the observed effect may not be attributable solely to the active intervention. Further large-scale studies are warranted to confirm these findings and elucidate the underlying mechanisms.

کلیدواژه ها:

Achillea millefolium ، Type ۲ diabetes mellitus ، Diabetic Nephropathy ، Creatinine ، Herbal medicine