Male antifertility compounds from Tripterygium wilfordii Hook f

• Published in: Contraception (Stoneham) Vol. 47; no. 4; p. 387
• Main Authors: Matlin, S A, Belenguer, A, Stacey, V E, Qian, S Z, Xu, Y, Zhang, J W, Sanders, J K, Amor, S R, Pearce, C M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01-04-1993
• Subjects: Animals; Biological Assay; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Diterpenes - chemistry; Diterpenes - isolation & purification; Diterpenes - pharmacology; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Drugs, Chinese Herbal - chemistry; Drugs, Chinese Herbal - isolation & purification; Drugs, Chinese Herbal - pharmacology; Epoxy Compounds; Fertility - drug effects; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; Male; Molecular Structure; Organ Size - drug effects; Phenanthrenes; Rats; Serial Extraction; Sperm Count - drug effects; Sperm Motility - drug effects; Spermatocidal Agents - chemistry; Spermatocidal Agents - isolation & purification; Spermatocidal Agents - pharmacology; Tablets; Testis - anatomy & histology; Testis - drug effects; Weight Gain - drug effects
• ISSN: 0010-7824
• DOI: 10.1016/0010-7824(93)90036-7

Extracts of the Chinese medicinal plant, Tripterygium wilfordii, cause reversible infertility in male animals. Sub-fractionation studies have now revealed that the plant extracts contain a number of compounds which are potent antifertility agents in male mammals, including the diterpenes triptolide and tripdiolide and an isomer of the latter. A triptolide, 12,13-chlorohydrin, which is a transformation product formed reversibly by interaction of triptolide with HCl, was also found to be active.