Page 51 - EJMO-9-2

Eurasian Journal of Medicine

and Oncology

REVIEW ARTICLE
Clinical effectiveness of traditional Chinese

medicine in modulating intestinal microbiota for
pediatric Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia: A

systematic review and meta-analysis

Keke Li 1 , Qinghe Zeng 1 , Jianyi Liu 2 , Yueyu Ma 1 , and Weiwei Liu *
2
1 Department of Chinese Paediatrics, Graduate School, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese
Medicine, Tianjin, China
2 Department of Chinese Paediatrics, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Tianjin University of Traditional
Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China

Abstract

This research aimed to perform a preliminary meta-analysis to comprehensively
examine the effectiveness and safety of herbal medicines in modulating the intestinal
microbiota of pediatric patients suffering from Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia
(MPP). A systematic search of seven databases was conducted in March 2024. The
included randomized controlled trials were evaluated using the Risk of Bias (ROB) 2.0
tool, as recommended in the Cochrane Handbook. The analysis included a total of 11
studies, with a combined sample of 880 children. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)
*Corresponding author: significantly enhanced the clinical outcomes of pediatric cases of MPP compared to
Weiwei Liu Western medicine or symptomatic treatment. The meta-analysis results indicated that
(lww_tjtcm@163.com) TCM significantly improved total clinical effectiveness (risk ratio = 1.19, 95% confidence
Citation: Li K, Zeng Q, Liu J, interval [CI]: 1.13, 1.26), increased Bifidobacterium bifidum count (mean difference
Ma Y, Liu W. Clinical effectiveness [MD] = 1.404, 95% CI: 1.180, 1.628), reduced serum interleukin-6 levels (MD = −4.665, 95%
of traditional Chinese medicine in
modulating intestinal microbiota for CI: −8.191, −1.139), and shortened the time required for rales to resolve (MD = −1.790,
pediatric Mycoplasma pneumoniae 95% CI: −1.951, −1.629) compared to the Western medicine group, with all differences
pneumonia: A systematic review being statistically significant at p < 0.05. Regarding safety, TCM modulation of the
and meta-analysis. Eurasian J Med
Oncol. 2025;9(2):43-60. intestinal microbiota in treating pediatric mycoplasma pneumonia did not result in
doi:10.36922/ejmo.8602 a higher incidence of adverse reactions, with the difference being statistically non-
Received: January 20, 2025 significant (p > 0.05). The ROB 2.0 assessment indicated potential bias, and the literature
quality was moderate, necessitating future validation by higher-quality studies. The
Revised: February 24, 2025 clinical effectiveness of intestinal microbiota-targeted TCM modulation in treating
Accepted: March 4, 2025 pediatric mycoplasma pneumonia was superior to Western medicine-only treatment,
Published online: March 24, 2025 offering significant advantages in reducing inflammatory cell infiltration, shortening
the time for rales to resolve, and demonstrating a better safety profile. However, future
Copyright: © 2025 Author(s). high-quality, large-scale clinical trials are needed to verify these findings.
This is an Open-Access article
distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution
License, permitting distribution, Keywords: Intestinal microbiota; Mycoplasma pneumoniae; Traditional Chinese medicine;
and reproduction in any medium, Systematic review; Meta-analysis; Clinical effectiveness of treatment
provided the original work is
properly cited.
Publisher’s Note: AccScience 1. Introduction
Publishing remains neutral with
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (MPP) is a respiratory tract infection caused by
affiliations. M. pneumoniae. This bacterium induces an immune response that leads to lung damage

Volume 9 Issue 2 (2025) 43 doi: 10.36922/ejmo.8602