Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UNIPROT:P01889 (ankylosing spondylitis)
 5,717 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

A refined extract from the root xylem of Tripterygium wilfordii Hook f, a perennial twining vine found in southern China, has been demonstrated to exert a powerful antifertility effect in both rats and human males. For the past 20 years, the herb has been used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, chronic hepatitis and nephritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and skin disorders. When the extract was administered to rats 6 times a week, fertility began to show a decline by the end of the 4th week of medication and all animals were infertile by the end of the 8th week. At that time, there was a dramatic decrease in the density and the motility of spermatozoa from the cauda epididymis, without apparent testicular damage. The fertility of the treated rats began to recover 4 weeks after withdrawal of the herb and was fully restored by 5 weeks. In trials conducted in rheumatoid arthritis patients who were receiving the extract, both the density and motility of ejaculated spermatozoa were significantly lower than in untreated controls and the sperm motility of the treated subjects was zero. No significant side effects were recorded: libido and potency were not affected. Preliminary findings suggest that the effective antifertility dose in men is only a third of the dose required to treat rheumatoid arthritis or skin diseases. The future use of this drug is dependent on successful isolation of the active principles and further toxicological evaluation.
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PMID:Tripterygium wilfordii, a Chinese herb effective in male fertility regulation. 331 38