Alprostadil Injection Improves Outcomes in T2DM-Related Diabetic Foot and Neuropathy: Study
A new study published in the Pakistan Journal of Pharmaceutical Science showed that when used as an adjuvant treatment for diabetic foot ulcers or diabetic peripheral neuropathy caused by type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), alprostadil injection found safe and effective.
In China alone, there are more than 100 million adult T2DM patients. Vascular and neuropathy conditions that lower quality of life sometimes aggravate type 2 diabetes mellitus. Diabetic foot (DF) and diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) are incapacitating consequences of long-term, continuous hyperglycemia, which destroys peripheral nerves and microvasculature.
Effective supplementary treatment approaches are desperately needed since these problems significantly lower patients' quality of life and raise medical costs. Thus, this study assessed the safety and effectiveness of alprostadil injection in the treatment of DF or DPN associated with type 2 diabetes.
Between 2018 and 2021, 120 suitable patients (62 with DF and 58 with DPN) were recruited from hospital to participate in a prospective randomized controlled experiment. Severe organ dysfunction was an exclusion criterion; verified T2DM diagnosis and satisfying DF/DPN diagnostic criteria were inclusion criteria.
Patients were split into two groups at random: the observation group (n = 60, getting standard treatment plus an intravenous infusion of 40μg alprostadil every day for 14–21 days) and the control group (n = 60, receiving standard therapy, including blood glucose control and symptom management). Total efficacy rate, lipid profiles (TC, TG, LDL-C, HDL-C), and adverse events were among the results.
The observation group's clinical results were significantly better than the control group's, with a total effectiveness rate of 93.33% (56/60) compared to 76.67% (46/60) (P=0.011). The observation group's lipid profiles significantly improved: TC dropped by 1.24±0.32 mmol/L, TG by 0.86±0.21 mmol/L, LDL-C by 0.92±0.25 mmol/L, and HDL-C rose by 0.35±0.10 mmol/L (all P<0.05).
The observation group's adverse event rate was 3.33% (2/60), significantly lower than the control group's rate of 18.83% (11/60) (P=0.008). Overall, Alprostadil injection shows good effectiveness and safety when used as an adjuvant therapy for diabetic peripheral neuropathy or diabetic foot associated with type 2 diabetes. It improves anomalies in lipid metabolism, increases overall therapy response, and is linked to a low frequency of side effects.
Source:
Liu, Y., Li, S., & Wang, L. (2026). Effectiveness and safety of alprostadil injection in the treatment of patients with type 2 diabetes complications. Pakistan Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 39(1), 97–101. https://doi.org/10.36721/PJPS.2026.39.1.REG.13294.1
