Rheumatoid arthritis Tripterygium wilfordii

Yu DY. Clinical observation of 144 cases of rheumatoid arthritis treated with glycoside of radix Tripterygium wilfordii. J Tradit Chin Med 1983 3(2) 125-9. 

Guo JL, Yuan SX, Wang XC, Xu SX, Li DD. Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F in rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondyhtis. Preliminary report. Chin Med J (Engl) 1981 94(7) 405-12. 

Celastrol, from Tripterygium wilfordii (Celastraceae), inhibited mouse IL-1 production in peritoneal macrophages, induced by lipopolysaccharide, and IL-2 production in splenic lymphocytes induced by concanavalin A [107]. This plant also furnished three novel triterpenes named regeol A, B and C, belonging to the D A-friedooleanane type and nine known triterpenes [42]. In rheumatoid arthritis, the degree of inflammation of the articular synovial membrane has to do with the production of IL-1. For this reason, the... 

Tripterygium wilfordii Hook Chi Hsueh Teng = Lei-Gong-Teng = Thunder god vine root dry roots are immersed in spirits and the filtered is drunk not specified rheumatoid arthritis, ankilosing spondylitis leprosy 90, 91 92... 

Extracts from Wilford s three-wing fruit (Thunder God Vine, Tripterygium wilfordii) have likewise been used in traditional Chinese medicine since ancient times for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. The pharmacologically important component of the extract proves to be triptohde, which inhihits the lipo-polysaccharide-induced COX-2 expression and the release of PGE2, and has thereby an anti-inflammatory effect. [167,168] It is remarkable that the extract does not affect the COX-1 activity. 

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