Studies on the Chemical Constituents and Bioactivities of Tripterygium Wilfordii

Tripterygium wilfordii Hook (TW) is a medicinal plant distributed widely in southern china. This plant was recently found to possess anti-inflammatory, antitumor and immunosuppressive activities. Some preparation of the plant root has been used for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, systemic acne rosacea, nephritis and some skin diseases. Chemical studies on this plant and its preparation have shown they contain a large number of sesquiterpenoid, diterpenoids, triterpenoids and alkaloids in which some diterpene triepoxy lactones such as triptolide and triptonide etc are considered as mainly active compounds.