Research Progress on Pharmacological Activities and Mechanism of Triptonide / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ABSTRACT

The root of Tripterygium wilfordii has the effect in dispelling wind and eliminating dampness. Now it is mostly used in the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus and other diseases. Triptonide is a diterpene small molecule compound extracted from T. wilfordii. In the early years， it was studied as a potential drug with anti-inflammatory and anti-reproductive effects. Recently， researchers found that its anti-tumor effect was particularly prominent because triptonide could inhibit the growth of a variety of tumors with different mechanisms at the nanomole dose， with a potential to be used as a broad-spectrum anti-cancer drug. In addition， due to the low yield from T. wilfordii， low bioavailability due to poor water solubility and anti-reproductive side effect as an antitumor drug， it will become study hotspots to exploring its synthesis and preparation and modifying its structure to reduce cost， improve bioavailability and reduce side effect， while maintaining its pharmacological activity. The authors reviewed domestic and foreign studies and patents on triptonide， and summarized its pharmacological activity and mechanism. It is found that although current studies on triptonide are still in the preliminary stage， there have been increasingly more studies on its anti-tumor mechanism year by year since 2014. This paper mainly introduces the antitumor pharmacological activity and mechanism of triptonide. In addition， it reviews anti-inflammatory， immunosuppression and anti-reproductive pharmacological effect of triptonide， as well as the existing studies on its toxicity， synthesis and structural modification. The authors put forward some personal ideas on its future study direction， in the hope to provide thinking and inspirations for other researchers and provide references for further development and research.