Multiglycosides of Tripterygium wilfordii Hook f (GTW), a Chinese herb-derived medicine used as a remedy for rheumatoid arthritis, are considered to be a reversible anti-fertility drug affecting the mammalian spermatids. However, the mechanism behind this effect is still unknown. To study the possible mechanism behind the impact of GTW on spermatogenesis, we administered 4 groups of 4-week-old ...

This study was designed to examine the potential use of the ethyl acetate (EA) extract of Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F (TwHF), a Chinese herbal medicine, in the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus. A total of 48 28-week-old female NZB/W F1 mice were randomly divided into three groups and orally administered vehicle or the EA extract of TwHF at 18.25 mg/kg (EAlow) or 36.5 mg/kg (EAhigh) f...

A leading cause of cancer chemotherapy failure is chemoresistance, which often involves multiple mechanisms. Chinese medicines (CM) usually contain multiple components which could potentially target many mechanisms simultaneously and may offer an advantage over single compounds that target one mechanism at a time. The purpose of this study was to investigate the chemosensitizing effect (CE) of ...

Resistance to chemotherapy is a major challenge to improving overall survival in Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). Therefore, the development of innovative therapies and the identification of more novel agents for AML are urgently needed. Celastrol, a compound extracted from the Chinese herb Tripterygium wilfordii Hook, exerts anticancer activity. We investigated the effect of celastrol in the t(8;...

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects of compound preparation of Cordyceps sinensis and Tripterygium hypoglaucum (CSTHC) on survival time of grafted pigskin after allogeneic transplantation and its mechanism. METHODS The pigskin was treated with CSTHC solution before allogeneic transplantation, and CSTHC ointment was applied for external use on the grafted pigskin after skin transplantation. C...

IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is characterized by high serum IgA levels and IgA deposition in the renal mesangium. Recent research has indicated that pathogenic IgA may originate from affected tonsils, where present enhancement of IgA production by IgA class switching and immuno-activation. Tripterygium Wilfordii (TW) was found to be especially effective in IgAN by its' immunosuppression effect. Given...

Objective:Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F (TwHF) is a widely used and effective treatment for inflammatory diseases. There have been concerns about its toxicity but no adequate synthesis of the evidence for adverse events (AEs). We aimed to undertake a clinically informative, systematic safety profile of TwHF. Methods: We undertook a systematic review and meta-analysis of experimental studies and...

Herbal medicines have been used for centuries to treat different illnesses. Among more than 20,000 herbal medicines available for humans, a limited number have sufficiently been studied and numerous remained to be investigated for their efficacy in treating human diseases. A number of herbal products are in use for their immunosuppressive effects. This capacity of herbs may have useful applicat...

The 4-hydroxy-3-methylbut-2-enyl diphosphate reductase (HDR) is the last step key enzyme of the methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) pathway, synthesizing isopentenyl diphosphate and its allyl isomer dimethylallyl diphosphate, which is important for regulation of isoprenoid biosynthesis. Here the full-length cDNA of HDR, designated TwHDR (GenBank Accession No. KJ933412.1), was isolated from Tripter...

BACKGROUND Idiopathic membranous nephropathy (IMN) is a major cause of nephrotic syndrome among adults. Considering the natural course of IMN, when to treat and with which immunosuppressive treatment need to be carefully considered in such patients. A combination of tripterygium wilfordii multiglycosides (TWG) and prednisone may be an effective option for treating patients with IMN. METHODS I...