Trichosanthin, a Chinese medicine for the medical treatment of ectopic pregnancy with high levels of β-hCG.

This was a retrospective study of the effectiveness of trichosanthin (TCS), an active component isolated from the Chinese herb root tuber of Trichosanthes kirilowii on 140 cases of ectopic pregnancy with higher levels of β-human chorionic gonadotropin (β-hCG) managed with a single dose of TCS treatment. Trichosanthin has been used for medical treatment of ectopic pregnancy in China since the 1980s. This study was performed in a major teaching hospitals in China. The mean pretreatment level of β-hCG in the TCS treatment group was 3387.57 IU/L. The success rate of TCS treatment was 85% (119 of 140) which was similar to methotrexate (MTX) treatment. In 86 women with a high level of β-hCG (over 2000 IU/L), the success rate was 80.08% when treated with TCS. Of this group, 26 women who had a high level of β-hCG (over 5000 IU/L) showed a success rate of 73%. The level of β-hCG on days 4, 7, and 10 in TCS group was significantly decreased. This study has shown that TCS may be an option for the medical treatment of unruptured ectopic pregnancy or an option for the treatment of ectopic pregnancy with higher levels of β-hCG than currently recommended for medical management with MTX.