Salvia miltiorrhiza improves type 2 diabetes A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Diabetes refers to any group of metabolic diseases characterized by high blood sugar and generally thought to be caused by insufficient production of insulin, impaired response to insulin. Globally, patients with type 2 diabetes account for more than 85% of the total diabetic patients, and due to factors, such as obesity, aging, environment and lifestyle, the incidence of diabetes is rising. Salvia miltiorrhiza (SM) is a medicine used to treat diabetes in China. In recent years, it has been reported that SM has the effect of improving type 2 diabetes. However, there is no systematic review of its efficacy and safety yet. Therefore, we propose a systematic review to evaluate the efficacy and safety of SM for T2D. Methods: Six databases will be searched: China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), China Biological Medicine (CBM), China Scientific Journals Database (CSJD), Wanfang database, PubMed, and EMBASE. The information is searched from January 2010 to July 2020. Languages are limited to English and Chinese. The primary outcomes include 2 hour plasma glucose, fasting plasma glucose, hemoglobin A1c, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance, and fasting plasma insulin. The secondary outcomes include clinical efficacy and adverse events. Results: This systematic review will evaluate the efficacy and safety of Salvia miltiorrhiza in the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Conclusion: This systematic review provides evidence as to whether Salvia miltiorrhiza is effective and safe for type 2 diabetes. Ethics: Ethical approval is not necessary as this protocol is only for systematic review and does not involve in privacy data or an animal experiment. Systematic review registration: INPLASY2020110046.