Molecular Analysis of Chinese Celastrus and Tripterygium and Implications in Medicinal and Pharmacological Studies

Celastrus and Tripterygium species, which are used in traditional Chinese medicine, have attracted much attention due to their anti-tumor promoting and neuroprotective activities, in addition to their applications in autoimmune disorders. However, systematic relationships between them and among species are unclear, and it may disturb their further medicinal utilization. In the present study, the molecular analysis of combined chloroplast and nuclear markers of all Chinese Celastrus and Tripterygium was performed, and clear inter- and intra-genus relationships were presented. The result suggests that Tripterygium constitute a natural monophyletic clade within Celastrus with strong support value. Fruit and seed type are better than inflorescence in subgeneric classification. Chinese Celastrus are classified for three sections: Sect. Sempervirentes (Maxim.) CY Cheng & TC Kao, Sect. Lunatus XY Mu & ZX Zhang, sect. nov., and Sect. Ellipticus XY Mu & ZX Zhang, sect. nov. The phylogenetic data was consistent with their chemical components reported previously. Owing to the close relationship, several evergreen Celastrus species are recommended for chemical and pharmacological studies. Our results also provide reference for molecular identification of Chinese Celastrus and Tripterygium.