Abstract: Tripterygium wilfordii hook.f. is a kind of herb in traditional Chinese medicine(TCM). Triptolide(T10) is the major active component of tripterygium extracts which possesses potent anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive properties. Recently, more and more evidences have indicated that T10 and its analogues(tripchlorolide and 5-hydroxytriptolide) had neuroprotective effects on various neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's disease(PD), Alzheimer's disease(AD) and multiple sclerosis(MS). Their neuroprotective mechanisms were involved in the inhibiting of microglial activation and release of pro-inflammatory cytokines, attenuating oxidative stress, suppression of excitotoxicity and Ca²⁺ overloading, and increasing the production of neurotrophic factors. The underlying molecular mechanisms were found to be associated with mitogen-activated protein kinases(MAPKs) and NF-κB signal pathways.

Key words: triptolide and its derivatives, neuroprotective effect, neurodegenerative diseases