Ansari Damavandi Shahla, Rezaeizadeh Hossein, Rahimi Roja, Anousha Kiana, Ashayeri Neda, Gholampoor Negar
Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
School of Persian Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Ann Med Surg (Lond). 2025 Jul 14;87(9):5535-5541. doi: 10.1097/MS9.0000000000003565. eCollection 2025 Sep.
Several approved iron chelators exist, but they may cause significant adverse reactions in some patients. It is essential to explore complementary treatments that enhance compliance and minimize side effects.
This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of chicory in reducing serum ferritin levels in transfusion-dependent β-thalassemia patients.
A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted at Ali-Asghar Children's Hospital in Tehran, Iran. Participants included individuals with transfusion-dependent β-thalassemia and serum ferritin levels exceeding 1000 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL). A total of 110 patients were randomly assigned to receive either chicory syrup or a placebo for 8 weeks. Primary and secondary outcomes were compared between the intervention and control groups.
All 110 enrolled patients had their ferritin levels measured at baseline and 2 months after initiating either chicory extract or placebo. Mean ferritin levels decreased in both the treatment group (918.28 ± 151.42 ng/ml) and the placebo group (799.145 ± 145.07 ng/ml), with a statistically significant difference ( = 0.04). Additionally, alanine transaminase (ALT) levels showed a significant decline in the treatment group (8.12 ± 13.49 U/L) compared to the placebo group (2.8 ± 6.65 U/L) ( = 0.019).
Our findings suggest that chicory extract may effectively reduce ferritin levels in patients with β-thalassemia. However, further research with larger sample sizes is warranted to validate these results and strengthen the evidence for the therapeutic potential of chicory.
现已有几种获批的铁螯合剂，但它们可能会在一些患者中引起严重的不良反应。探索能提高依从性并将副作用降至最低的补充疗法至关重要。
本研究旨在评估菊苣对降低依赖输血的β地中海贫血患者血清铁蛋白水平的疗效。
在伊朗德黑兰的阿里 - 阿斯加尔儿童医院进行了一项随机、双盲、安慰剂对照试验。参与者包括依赖输血的β地中海贫血患者且血清铁蛋白水平超过1000纳克/毫升（ng/mL）。总共110名患者被随机分配接受菊苣糖浆或安慰剂，为期8周。对干预组和对照组的主要和次要结果进行了比较。
所有110名入组患者在基线时以及开始使用菊苣提取物或安慰剂2个月后都测量了铁蛋白水平。治疗组（918.28 ± 151.42 ng/ml）和安慰剂组（799.145 ± 145.07 ng/ml）的平均铁蛋白水平均有所下降，差异具有统计学意义（ = 0.04）。此外，与安慰剂组（2.8 ± 6.65 U/L）相比，治疗组的丙氨酸转氨酶（ALT）水平显著下降（8.12 ± 13.49 U/L）（ = 0.019）。
我们的研究结果表明，菊苣提取物可能有效降低β地中海贫血患者体内的铁蛋白水平。然而，需要进一步开展更大样本量的研究来验证这些结果，并加强菊苣治疗潜力的证据。
