High-Performance Liquid Chromatographic Determination of Triptonide, Triptriolide, and Triptophenolide in Ethyl Acetate Extract of Tripterygium Wilfordii Hook F

Simultaneous determination of four sesquiterpene alkaloids in Tripterygium wilfordii Hook. F. extracts by high-performance liquid chromatography

Wilfortrine, wilfordine, wilforgine and wilforine are four major bioactive sesquiterpene alkaloids in Tripterygium wilfordii Hook. F. The first analytical determination of the four major bioactive alkaloids is described. The four alkaloids are well-resolved within 15 min using the developed HPLC method. The identity of the analytes was confirmed by an HPLC-MS experiment, with all compounds being clearly assignable by atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) positive mode analysis. The method was validated for limit of qualification, linearity and inter-day variation of precision and accuracy. Seven T. wilfordii samples (extracts and commercial product) were successfully analysed.

Triptolide impairs dendritic cell migration by inhibiting CCR7 and COX-2 expression through PI3-K/Akt and NF-kappaB pathways

Inhibition of dendritic cell (DC) migration into tissues and secondary lymphoid organs is an efficient way to induce immunosuppression and tolerance. CCR7 and PGE(2) are critical for DC migration to secondary lymphoid organs where DC initiate immune response. Triptolide, an active component purified from the medicinal plant Tripterygium Wilfordii Hook F., is a potent immunosuppressive drug capable of prolonging allograft survival in organ transplantation by inhibiting T cell activation and proliferation. Considering the essential role in T cell tolerance of DC migration to secondary lymphoid organs, here we demonstrate that triptolide can significantly inhibit LPS-triggered upregulation of CCR7 expression and PGE(2) production by inhibiting cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression in DC, thus impairing DC migration towards CCR7 ligand CCL19/MIP-3betain vitro. Moreover, triptolide-treated DC display impaired migration into secondary lymphoid organs and in vivo administration of triptolide also inhibits DC migration. Further studies show that the triptolide-mediated inhibitory effects of LPS-induced activation of phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3-K)/Akt and nuclear NF-kappaB activation are involved in down-regulation of COX-2 and CCR7 expression resulting in impaired migration to secondary lymphoid organs of DC. Therefore, inhibition of DC migration through decreasing COX-2 and CCR7 expression via PI3-K/Akt and NF-kappaB signal pathways provides additional mechanistic explanation for triptolide's immunosuppressive effect.

Immunosuppressant triptolide inhibits dendritic cell-mediated chemoattraction of neutrophils and T cells through inhibiting Stat3 phosphorylation and NF-κB activation

Triptolide, an active component purified from the medicinal plant Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F., is potent in anti-inflammation and immunosuppression. Dendritic cells (DC), one of important targets of immunosuppressants, play crucial roles in linking the innate immunity and adaptive immunity. However, the effects of triptolide on DC have not been fully elucidated. Chemoattraction of neutrophils and T cells by DC may favor their interactions and initiation of immune response. Here we demonstrate that triptolide significantly impairs DC-mediated chemoattraction of neutrophils and T cells both in vitro and in vivo by suppressing DC production of CC and CXC chemokines including MIP-1alpha, MIP-1beta, MCP-1, RANTES, TARC, and IP-10 in response to LPS. Furthermore, triptolide-mediated inhibition of NF-kappaB activation, Stat3 phosphorylation and increase of SOCS1 expression in DC may be involved in the inhibitory effect of triptolide. Our study provides a novel mechanistic explanation for the anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive activities of triptolide.

A novel method to convert triptolide into tripchlorolide in Tripterygium wilfordii

A new method has been established to convert triptolide (1) into tripchlorolide (2) directly in the Chinese herbal drug Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F. and the influences of reaction times and pH values have been investigated. It was found that 1 could be most efficiently converted into 2 using a hydrochloric acid-acetic acid system. An HPLC method was devised in order to monitor the conversion and ESI-MS was used to identify the synthetic product 2. The sensitivity of the assay was sufficient to monitor the conversion of the main active components in T. wilfordii.

Monitoring of the conversion from triptolide to tripchlorolide in Triptergium wilfordii by micellar electrokinetic caillary chromatography

A novel concocting method to convert Triptolide (T) into Tripchlorolide (T(4)) in the traditional Chinese herb Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F. and a micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatographic (MEKC) approach by which the conversion of Triptolide (T) and Tripchlorolide (T(4)) was identified and determined had been established. Investigations of the influence of different pH values of boric acid and borax buffer and of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and organic additive concentrations had been carried out, and the optimum separation for T and T(4) was achieved using boric acid and borax of pH 7.0 with 30 mM SDS and 20% (volume ratio) methanol as the running buffer. It was found that MEKC exhibited good accuracy, precision and repeatability and the content of T(4) was greatly increased in the herb that was treated by the new concocting method.

Triptolide (PG-490) induces apoptosis of dendritic cells through sequential p38 MAP kinase phosphorylation and caspase 3 activation

Dendritic cells (DCs) are the most potent antigen-presenting cells that play crucial roles in the regulation of immune response. Triptolide, an active component purified from the medicinal plant Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F., has been demonstrated to act as a potent immunosuppressive drug capable of inhibiting T cell activation and proliferation. However, little is known about the effects of triptolide on DCs. The present study shows that triptolide does not affect phenotypic differentiation and LPS-induced maturation of murine DCs. But triptolide can dramatically reduce cell recovery by inducing apoptosis of DCs at concentration as low as 10ng/ml, as demonstrated by phosphatidylserine exposure, mitochondria potential decrease, and nuclear DNA condensation. Triptolide induces activation of p38 in DCs, which precedes the activation of caspase 3. SB203580, a specific kinase inhibitor for p38, can block the activation of caspase 3 and inhibit the resultant apoptosis of DCs. Our results suggest that the anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive activities of triptolide may be due, in part, to its apoptosis-inducing effects on DCs.

Determination of diterpenoid triepoxides in Tripterygium wilfordii by micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography

A micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatographic (MEKC) method has been established for the identification and determination of diterpenoid triepoxides in the Chinese herb Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F. and its preparations. Studies of the influence of boric acid and borax buffer concentration and pH, and of sodium dodecylsulphate (SDS) concentration have been carried out, and the optimum separation for the triepoxides was achieved using 20 mM boric acid and 10 mM borax with 20 mM SDS as the running buffer. MEKC was found to exhibit good accuracy, precision and repeatability. The sensitivity of the assay was sufficient to monitor the three active components in T. wilfordii and its preparations.

Analysis of the stability and degradation products of triptolide

Triptolide is the major active ingredient of the Chinese herbal remedy Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F. (TwHF). As triptolide content is used to estimate the potency of preparations of TwHF, assessment of its stability is warranted. The accelerated stability of triptolide was investigated in 5% ethanol solution in a light-protected environment at pH 6.9, within a temperature range of 60-90 degrees C. The observed degradation rate followed first-order kinetics. The degradation rate constant (K25 degrees C) obtained by trending line analysis of Arrhenius plots of triptolide was 1.4125 x 10(-4) h(-1). The times to degrade 10% (t1/10) and 50% (t1/2) at 25 degrees C were 31 and 204 days, respectively. Stability tests of triptolide in different solvents and different pH conditions (pH4-10) in a light-protected environment at room temperature demonstrated that basic medium and a hydrophilic solvent were the major factors that accelerated the degradation of triptolide. Triptolide exhibited the fastest degradation rate at pH 10 and the slowest rate at pH 6. In a solvent comparison, triptolide was found to be very stable in chloroform. The stability of triptolide in organic polar solvents tested at both 100% and 90% concentration was greater in ethanol than in methanol than in dimethylsulphoxide. Stability was also greater in a mixture of solvent:pH6 buffer (9:1) than in 100% solvent alone. An exception was ethyl acetate, which is less polar than the other solvents tested, but permitted more rapid degradation of triptolide. Two of the degradation products of triptolide were isolated and identified by HPLC and mass spectroscopy as triptriolide and triptonide. This suggested that the decomposition of triptolide occurred at the C12 and C13 epoxy group and the C14 hydroxyl. The opening of the C12 and C13 epoxy is an irreversible reaction, but the reaction occurring on the C14 hydroxyl is reversible. These results show that the major degradation pathway of triptolide involves decomposition of the C12 and C13 epoxy group. Since this reaction is very slow at 4 degrees C at pH 6, stability is enhanced under these conditions.