Ancient Chinese medicine plant yields promising arthritis-fighting compound
Han H, Ju Y, Chen Z, Hu Z, Qin W
Medicinal Plants
The thunder god vine, long used in traditional Chinese herbal medicine and sometimes grown as an ornamental climber, turns out to contain a molecule precise enough to shut down a specific protein pathway, a reminder that unassuming garden and medicinal plants are still untapped chemical libraries.
Researchers studied a compound called celastrol, found in a plant called thunder god vine that's been used in Chinese medicine for centuries to treat joint pain and inflammation. They discovered that celastrol works by sticking to a specific protein that fuels joint damage in rheumatoid arthritis, essentially jamming the signal that tells joint tissue to inflame and erode. In rats with arthritis, this plant compound reduced inflammation and protected joints from destruction, suggesting an old herbal remedy has a very specific modern-day mechanism behind it.
Key Findings
FGFR1 overexpression worsened synovial inflammation, cartilage damage, and bone erosion in arthritic rats, while knocking it down protected joints
FGFR1 drives joint damage by boosting STAT1-mediated TGFB1 transcription, promoting tissue remodeling and invasive fibroblast-like synoviocyte behavior
Celastrol was identified from a screen of 4,667 natural compounds as an FGFR1-binding molecule and reduced synovial fibrosis and joint destruction in vivo
chevron_right Technical Summary
Scientists found that a compound from a traditional Chinese medicinal plant can block a protein that drives joint damage in rheumatoid arthritis, offering a potential new lead for treating this painful autoimmune disease.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Celastrol targets FGFR1 to attenuate synovial inflammation and joint destruction in rheumatoid arthritis.
Natural products from traditional medicinal plants are valuable sources for discovering bioactive molecules targeting disease-relevant pathways. Tripterygium wilfordii Hook. f. has been traditional...
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Tripterygium wilfordii, or léi gōng téng (Mandarin), sometimes called thunder god vine but more properly translated thunder duke vine, is a vine used in traditional Chinese medicine.