Preliminary Studies On Immunopharmacological Actions Of A Single Active Ingredient Of Tripterygium Wilfordii Hook (T4) In The Treatment Of Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients(Ⅱ)

A single active ingredient with the code name T4 hasrecently been isolated and prepared from the herbal plant,Tripterygium Wilfordii Hook (TWH). Preliminary studies inanimals indicate that its relative efficacy is at least 100 times as potent as T2,α semipurified multi-glycosides preparation of TWH.T2 in treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA)was previously reported which Showed that T2 possesses both anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive actions. It is generally accepted that synovitis is the basic pathogenetic lesion of RA in which there are extensive synovial cell proliferation, pannus formation and presence of a series of increased amounts of cytokines and inflammation mediators like prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). Among the cytokines,interleukin...