Thunder-god vine

With the present major emphasis on the preparation and testing of a seemingly endless number of synthetic organic compounds for pesticidal activity and the clamor over their possible adverse effects on public health and our general environment, comparatively few people realize that certain natural insecticides have been used by man for centuries. The ancient Romans apparently utilized false hellebore as a rodenticide and insecticide (13), and preparations of Tripterygium ivilfordii (thunder-god vine) and Derris species have been employed by the Chinese for hundreds of years as insecticides (16). The insecticidal properties of sabadilla (from Schoenocaulon species) were known in the sixteenth century tobacco was in use as... 

Despite the recent efforts of Beroza (3), the insecticidal alkaloids of the thunder-god vine (Tripterygium ivilfordii) remain only partially characterized. A structure has been proposed for anhydrory-anodine (VIII), a major degradation product of the active principle (ryanodine) of the commercial insecticide ryania (34), and a structure for the parent compound will be proposed soon by Rapoport and his coworkers (27). This again illustrates the importance of collaboration between physical and biological scientists and the intriguing research which each can reveal to the other. 

The unusual triepoxide triptolide (33) was first isolated from Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F. or the thunder god vine by the late Morris Kupchan as part of his systematic investigation of natural products as potential anticancer agents. T. iDilfordii is used in traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of arthritis and related... 

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. 

Yang, H. Chen, D. Cui, Q. C. Yuan, X. Dou, Q. P. Celatrol, a triterpene extracted from the Chinese thunder of god vine is a potent proteasome inhibitor and suppresses human prostate cancer growth in nude mice. Cancer Res. 2006, 66, 4758 -765. 

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