Polycystic Kidney Disease May Be Helped With Triptolide
Kidney failure is no joke, and it is the leading cause of kidney failure fatalities worldwide. Studies are now suggesting that Polycystic Kidney Disease may be helped by an active compound in Thunder God Vine known as Triptolide – and tripltolide may decrease the rate of cyst growth in those affected by the disease.
Polycystic Kidney Disease, or PKD, is a progressive disease that usually has 50% of sufferers on dialysis by the time they are 60 years old, and depending on the type of PKD, whether it is type 1 or 2, life expectancy drops to 55 years for those with PKD1, and 69 years for those with PKD2. (Palladiobio.com/polycystic-kidney-disease).
PKD is a genetic disease, which, similar to cancer, causes the uncontrolled growth of the cells that line the tubules of the kidneys, which results in many fluid filled cysts in the kidney, reducing its function severely (Liz Pantani, Yale Center for RNA Science and Medicine, Yale University, Sept 2012).
There is no cure for Polycystic Kidney Disease, other than transplant, according the Dr. Crews, Associate Professor at Yale University., who focuses on a combination of traditional Chinese Medicine and current advances in science (Liz Pantani, Yale Center for RNA Science and Medicine, Yale University, Sept 2012).
Triptolide is a potent, biologically active compound isolated from the medicinal ‘Thunder God Vine’ Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F. The TCM tea Lei Gong Teng made from this plant has been used for centuries, as a therapeutic against cancer, inflammation, and auto-immune diseases. Crews and colleagues showed that triptolide causes cell growth arrest in certain cell types (Liz Pantani, Yale Center for RNA Science and Medicine, Yale University, Sept 2012).
According to Crews, usually, kidney cells self-regulate their growth by sensing the fluid moving through the kidney. They grow and divide in response to fluid flow, and when they are healthy, these cells regulate themselves and stop growing when they complete formation of the tube. When an individual suffers from PKD, however, the cells never get the signal to stop growth, which is why the cysts form.
At the Yale School of Medicine, the chief of nephrology, Dr. Stefan Somlo and Dr. Crews tested Triptolide on mouse models of Polycystic Kidney Disease, and found that the triptolide application decreased the sizes and numbers of the cysts
“Our research shows that triptolide, an active ingredient of the TCM Lei Gong Teng, markedly decreases cyst formation in a mouse model of this most common genetic lethal kidney disease,” Crews said. “Our results offer a novel therapeutic approach to this deadly disease and highlight the potential of TCM as pharmaceutical sources” (Liz Pantani, Yale Center for RNA Science and Medicine, Yale University, Sept 2012).
References
Pantani, Liz. “Triptolide: A Potential Drug for Polycystic Kidney Disease.” Retrieved from “https://medicine.yale.edu/rnacenter/article.aspx?id=3544” 06/20/2019, published Sept 25, 2012
