Vitamin E Treatment Improves the Antioxidant Capacity of Patients Receiving Dialysis: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis

Scope To summarize the effect of vitamin E‐coated dialyzer membranes (VEMs) treatment or oral vitamin E intake on antioxidant molecules, such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPX), catalase (CAT), and total antioxidant level in patients receiving dialysis. Methods and results A literature search of PubMed, Embase, CNKI, and the Cochrane Library databases is performed from inception to July 1, 2023, with no language nor country restrictions. Twenty‐four experimental studies involving 512 patients undergoing dialysis are selected for meta‐analysis. The levels of antioxidant markers in the blood of patients receiving hemodialysis (HD) improve with long‐term VEMs treatment ( p = 0.016). According to the findings of each antioxidant index, there is a significant increase in the levels of erythrocyte‐derived SOD ( p = 0.047), CAT ( p = 0.029), and plasma‐derived total antioxidant level ( p < 0.001). The antioxidant marker levels in patients receiving HD are significantly increased by oral vitamin E intake ( p < 0.001). Erythrocyte‐derived SOD ( p = 0.003), GPX ( p < 0.001), and CAT ( p = 0.001) substantially improves after 2–6 months of intervention with oral vitamin E preparation. The antioxidant index of patients receiving peritoneal dialysis (PD) is unaffected by oral vitamin E treatment ( p = 0.945). Conclusion Vitamin E therapy has a favorable effect on the retention of antioxidant compounds in patients undergoing dialysis.