"Thunder God Vine: A Natural Remedy for Arthritis"

Researchers at Osaka University have identified a protein complex, COMMD3/8, that plays a role in accelerating rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases. They discovered that celastrol, a compound extracted from the root of a medicinal plant commonly referred to as the “Thunder God vine”, is an effective inhibitor of the COMMD3/8 complex. Celastrol binds to COMMD3 covalently and prevents the formation of the COMMD3/8 complex, thus impairing the antibody response and blocking the progression of rheumatoid arthritis in a mouse model.