Therapeutic Hotline. Oral allicin in the treatment of Behcet's disease through attenuating oxidative stress: A pilot study in 20 patients with mucocutaneous lesions.

Behçet's disease (BD) involves oxidative stress (OS) aggression and imbalanced oxidant/antioxidant status. Owing to its antioxidant property, allicin is proposed for treating BD. In this study, we aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of allicin on patients with BD with mucocutaneous involvement. Twenty patients with active BD were treated with allicin for 12 weeks and followed up to 16 weeks. A clinical manifestations index and scoring system was the primary technique for efficacy evaluation at baseline and Week 4, 12, 16. The secondary efficacy variables were OS-related biomarkers determined at first and final visit. Side effects were assessed at each visit. By the end of study, 18 patients completed the trail. Allicin was effective in decreasing ulcer and cutaneous parameters (p < .05). Especially, the greatest reduction of mucocutaneous scores emerged from baseline after the first four-week treatment (p < .05). Meanwhile, allicin remarkably ameliorated OS-related parameters. Besides, some side effects were observed on allicin, these adverse reactions, however, disappeared upon cessation of drugs. In conclusion, allicin is a safe and effective treatment for BD, which may be associated with its inhibiting OS and regulating oxidant/antioxidant status balance.