Triptolide (TP) has been shown to have anti-inflammatory, immunosuppressive, anti-fertility and anti-neoplastic activities. However, its clinical use is restricted to some content due to its poor water solubility and some toxic effects. In order to find innovative ways for administering TP and alleviating its disadvantages, the controlled release delivery systems such as solid lipid nanoparticle (SLN) and microemulsion have been developed. In the present paper we describe the preparation and some characterization of specialized delivery systems for TP. The transdermal delivery capacity and anti-inflammatory activity were also evaluated. The results indicated that these SLN dispersions and microemulsions could serve as efficient promoters for the TP penetrating into skin. Furthermore, different formulations were optimized in this study. The best formulation of SLN dispersion consisted of 5% tristearin glyceride, 1.20% soybean lecithin and 3.60% polyethylene glycol (400) monosterate, while the best formulation of microemulsion consisted of 40% isopropyl myristate, 50% Tween-80: 1,2-propylene glycol (5:1, v/v) and water. The steady-state flux (Js) and permeability coefficient (Kp) of triptolide for the SLN dispersion of the first 6 h were 3.1+/-0.4 microg/cm2 per h and 0.0124+/-0.001 cm/h or 6.4+/-0.7 microg/cm2 per h and 0.0256+/-0.002 cm/h for the microemulsion, which was 3.45 and 7.02 times higher than those of triptolide solution, respectively. The anti-inflammatory activity of SLN dispersion was stronger than that of microemulsion in carrageenan induced rat paw edema. However, the results were the reverse in complete Frenud's adjuvant induced paw edema. Further investigations should be carried out on the toxicity of different formulations of triptolide to tissues.