AIM: To investigate the effects of triptolide on proinflammatory cytokine and chemokine expression induced by the fungal component zymosan in cultured human corneal fibroblasts (HCFs). METHODS: HCFs were cultured in the absence or presence of zymosan or triptolide. The release of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) into culture supernatants was measured with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. The cellular abundance of the mRNAs for these proteins was determined by reverse transcription and real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis. The phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and the endogenous nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) inhibitor IκB-α was examined by immunoblot analysis. The release of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity from HCFs was measured with a colorimetric assay. RESULTS: Triptolide inhibited the zymosan-induced release of IL-6, IL-8, and MCP-1 from HCFs in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. It also inhibited the zymosan-induced up-regulation of IL-6, IL-8, and MCP-1 mRNA abundance in these cells. Furthermore, triptolide attenuated zymosan-induced phosphorylation of the MAPKs extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK), and p38 as well as the phosphorylation and degradation of IκB-α. Triptolide did not exhibit cytotoxicity for HCFs. CONCLUSION: Triptolide inhibited proinflammatory cytokine and chemokine production by HCFs exposed to zymosan, with this action likely being mediated by suppression of MAPK and NF-κB signaling pathways. This compound might thus be expected to limit the infiltration of inflammatory cells into the cornea associated with fungal infection.