OBJECTIVETo investigate the possible mechanism of action of tripterygium glycosides (TG) for treatment of Behcet's disease (BD) through observing its effect on serum levels of interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta), interleukin-2 (IL-2), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma).

METHODSThirty primarily treated BD patients (BD group) were treated with TG 30 mg/d orally for 3 months, and a control group consisting of 30 healthy persons was set up. Serum levels of IL-1beta, IL-2, TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma were detected by radio-immunosorbent assay (RIA) before and after treatment respectively. And the outcomes were analyzed in combining with the clinical status of patients as well as related indices as erythrocyte sedimentation (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP).

RESULTSSerum levels of IL-1beta, TNF-alpha, IFN-gamma in the BD group were evidently higher (P < 0.05) than those in the control group, they all lowered significantly after 3-month TG treatment, from 10.72 +/- 1.84 microg/L, 6.64 +/- 1.05 microg/L and 8.93 +/- 1.23 microg/L to 5.71 +/- 1.04 microg/L, 4.27 +/- 0.76 microg/L and 3.44 +/- 0.72 microg/L, respectively (P < 0.05), while level of IL-2 in the BD group was insignificantly different before treatment to that in the control (though showed an increasing trend) and was unchanged after treatment (P > 0.05). TG treatment showed the effectiveness of markedly effective in 10, effective in 16 and ineffective in 4 BD patients, with the total effective rate of 86.6%. Besides, ESR and CRP levels were evidently decreased in BD patients after treatment (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONTG may treat BD by way of regulating the levels of IL-1beta,TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma.