Tetrandrine

Tetrandrine is a bis-benzylisoquinoline alkaloid that has been found in R. stephania roots and has diverse biological activities.^1,2,3,4 It induces autophagy in HeLa, MCF-7, and human foreskin fibroblast (HFF) cells when used at a concentration of 5 µM, an effect that can be reversed by the autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenine (Item No. 13242).¹ Tetrandrine inhibits PAF-, thrombin-, collagen-, ADP-, or epinephrine-induced aggregation of isolated human platelets.² Priming of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) with tetrandrine (5 and 10 µM) reduces TNF-α secretion by RAW 264.7 cells in co-culture.³ Ear skin transplantation of tetrandrine-primed MSCs decreases ear levels of TNF-α in a mouse model of ear skin inflammation. Tetrandrine (1 mg/kg) increases soleus muscle levels of glucose transporter 4 (Glut4) and decreases plasma glucose levels in a rat model of diabetes induced by streptozotocin (Item No. 13104).⁴

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1. Wang, H., Liu, T., Li, L., et al. Tetrandrine is a potent cell autophagy agonist via activated intracellular reactive oxygen species. Cell Biosci. 5, 4 (2015).

2. Wie, Q.-M., Tang, H.-F., Chen, J.-Q., et al. Pharmacological actions of tetrandrine in inflammatory pulmonary diseases. Acta Pharmacol. Sin. 23(12), 1107-1113 (2002).

3. Yang, Z., Concannon, J., Ng, K.S., et al. Tetrandrine identified in a small molecule screen to activate mesenchymal stem cells for enhanced immunomodulation. Sci. Rep. 6, 30263 (2016).

4. Hsu, J.-H., Wu, Y.-C., Liou, S.-S., et al. Mediation of endogenous β-endorphin by tetrandrine to lower plasma glucose in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Evid. Based Complement. Med. 1(2), 193-201 (2004).