Effectiveness of polyene phosphatidylcholine and its combination with other drugs in patients with liver diseases based on real-world research

ABSTRACT

Objectives

Polyene phosphatidylcholine (PPC) is a widely used hepatoprotective drug. We aim to explore the effectiveness of PPC in patients with liver diseases based on real-world research, and compare with other hepatoprotective drugs.

Methods

This was a ‘three-phase’ retrospective study, including a descriptive study, a self-control case study, and a specific-disease cohort study. A total of 14,800 hospitalized patients were enrolled in phase I from 1 January 2015 to 1 January 2020, of which 793 patients using PPC alone were included for phase II and III. The major measurement of effectiveness analysis was the ALT level and its changes. Wilcoxon signed-rank test, Chi-square test, and Mann–Whitney U test were used.

Results

In patients without liver tumor, ALT level decreased after using PPC (p < 0.01), and the decrease in ALT level using PPC was greater than using glutathione or magnesium isoglycyrrhizinate alone (p = 0.044; p = 0.038). In patients without liver tumor but having abnormal liver function, the decrease in ALT level using PPC + glutathione was greater than using glutathione alone (p = 0.047).

Conclusion

PPC had a beneficial effect on liver function in patients without liver tumor, and PPC could enhance the liver protective function of glutathione and magnesium isoglycyrrhizinate.

KEYWORDS:

• Polyene phosphatidylcholine
• liver protective drug
• liver disease
• real-world research
• effectiveness evaluation

Disclosure statement

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

Reviewer disclosures

Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no relevant financial or other relationships to disclose.

Author contributions

All the authors were involved in the study. Y Li and G Zhang designed the study. G Zhang guided the study. Y Li and A Chen collected the data. X Cui and Z Li analyzed and interpreted the data. Y Li and X Cui wrote the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript for publishing.

Data availability statement

The data are available on request from the corresponding author: Ying Li, [email protected].

Additional information

Funding

This paper was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (82172877).