Artemisinin is a naturally occurring compound obtained from the plant Artemisia annua (Sweet wormwood). It has been discovered that Artemisinin and its derivatives possess remarkable medicinal properties, making them indispensable in the fight against malaria, especially in the treatment of multi-resistant Plasmodium strains.
Artemisinin derivatives exhibit strong antiparasitic effects, with their endoperoxide bridge being crucial for their action. They work by disrupting the metabolism of pathogens, particularly Plasmodium strains, leading to their elimination. In addition to its use in malaria treatment, Artemisinin is also being investigated for its potential anti-cancer properties, which has driven further research in these areas.
Numerous studies and research (here) have shown that Artemisinin is effective in treating various types of cancer and HIV/AIDS. However, it should be noted that most of these studies have been conducted only in laboratories or on animal models, with very few small clinical studies in human medicine. Large-scale clinical trials will be necessary in the future to fully understand and confirm the effectiveness of Artemisinin in treating these diseases.
Regarding cancer, research indicates that Artemisinin is capable of directly combating certain cancer cells. It has been found to disrupt mitochondrial function in cancer cells, triggering programmed cell death (apoptosis). Recent studies have also shown genotoxic effects in the form of oxidative DNA damage and DNA double-strand breaks. Additionally, antitumoral effects of Artemisinin derivatives have been demonstrated in numerous human cancer cell lines, including breast, prostate, colon, and pancreatic carcinoma cells, as well as glioblastoma, leukemia, melanoma, and bronchial carcinoma cells.
In in-vivo investigations and animal models, Artemisinin derivatives have demonstrated growth inhibition, including fibrosarcomas, breast cancer, and Kaposi sarcomas, but this required the use of high doses. There are also clinical case reports of successful therapy for laryngeal carcinomas and metastatic choroidal melanomas using Artesunate in combination with standard chemotherapy regimens.
To trigger the toxic effect of Artemisinin, it needs to be activated through a reaction with iron. Since cancer cells uptake more iron due to their increased cell division rate and have significantly more transferrin receptors on their surface, the cytotoxic effect of Artemisinin is specifically lethal to tumor cells. The toxicity towards tumor cells can be achieved by significantly increasing the iron concentration in the body, for example, by combining Artemisinin with holotransferrin or (Fe²⁺)-glycine sulfate.
Regarding HIV/AIDS, in vitro studies have shown that Artemisinin exhibits antiviral properties against the HIV virus. It is believed to inhibit the replication of the virus and reduce infection in human cells.
From the examples described above, it is evident that Artemisinin and its derivatives will play a significant role in various therapeutic applications. Due to their already known pharmacodynamic properties, the development of new drugs in the future could be greatly accelerated.
