Abstract
The influence of the chloroform extract ofTripterygium wilfordiiHookf (TWH extract) on the macrophage phagocytic system was examined in BALB/c mice. TWH extract did not influence either the organ distribution of sheep red blood cells (SRBC) or the blood clearance of colloidal carbon when the extract was administered orally into mice at doses of 200 to 400 g/kg for six consecutive days before injection of SRBC and carbon. Hemagglutination titers against SRBC in the experimental and the control mice did not differ significantly even when 400 μg/kg of TWH extract was given six times before SRBC injection. However, when administered during the course of the response (day 0 to 5), TWH extract (200 μg/ kg/ day) markedly suppressed antibody formation. These results suggest that TWH extract may exert immunosuppressive action without inhibition of macrophage functions, such as antigen handling and processing activities.
