[Effects of tripchlorolide (T4) of Tripterygium wilfordii Hook on the proliferation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells of rheumatoid arthritis patients].

Tripchlorolide (T4) is a single active ingredient recently isolated from Tripterygium wilfordii Hook. The effects of T4 on the proliferation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and normal subjects were studied, RA patients and sex- and age-matched normal subjects (each 8 cases) were selected. PBMC were incubated with T4 of various doses (10, 20, 30 and 40 ng/ml) in the presence or absence of PHA for 72 hours. The results were as follows: T4 remarkably inhibited the proliferation of both PHA-stimulated and unstimulated PBMC of normal subjects and PHA-stimulated PBMC of RA patients as measured by MTT colormetric method. However, T4 showed a biphasic reaction in unstimulated PBMC of 3 RA patients. These results indicates that T4 would be useful in the therapy of RA. The significance of biphasic reaction occurring in RA patients needs to be further investigated.