ABSTRACT
Diabetic peripheral neuropathy is a common complication of diabetes， and its pathogenesis is complex. Its high morbidity can result in disability， teratogenesis， and death in diabetic patients. At present， the pathogenesis of diabetic peripheral neuropathy has not been clearly elucidated， which may be related to oxidative stress， inflammatory response， microcirculation dysfunction， metabolic abnormalities， etc. Recent studies have found that apoptosis plays an important role in the pathogenesis of diabetic peripheral neuropathy. The three pathways， i.e.， mitochondrial pathway， death receptor pathway， and endoplasmic reticulum pathway， jointly regulate the cell apoptosis in the body. Traditional Chinese medicine， with definite efficacies in the treatment of diabetic peripheral neuropathy， is advantageous in overall regulation and multi-target and multi-pathway treatment. As reported， the active ingredients in Chinese medicine and Chinese medicinal compounds can alleviate diabetic peripheral neuropathy by regulating apoptosis signaling pathways. Furthermore， apoptosis pathways are expected to be potential targets for new drugs against diabetic peripheral neuropathy following oxidative stress. Therefore， this paper， taking apoptosis as the entry point， reviewed the research progress on TCM intervention in diabetic peripheral neuropathy in recent years to provide references for the clinical prevention and treatment of diabetic peripheral neuropathy and the development of new drugs.