Artemisinins are a family of
sesquiterpene trioxane
lactone anti-malarial agents originally derived from Artemisia annua L. The
anti-malarial action of
artemisinins involves the formation of
free radicals via cleavage of the endoperoxide bond in its structure, which mediate eradication of the Plasmodium species. With its established safety record in millions of malarial patients,
artemisinins are also being investigated in diseases like
infections,
cancers and
inflammation.
Artemisinins have been reported to possess robust inhibitory effects against viruses (e.g. Human cytomegalovirus), protozoa (e.g. Toxoplasma gondii), helminths (e.g. Schistosoma species and Fasciola hepatica) and fungi (e.g. Cryptococcus neoformans).
Artemisinins have demonstrated cytotoxic effects against a variety of
cancer cells by inducing cell cycle arrest, promoting apoptosis, preventing angiogenesis, and abrogating
cancer invasion and
metastasis.
Artemisinins have been evaluated in animal models of
autoimmune diseases, allergic disorders and septic
inflammation. The anti-inflammatory effects of
artemisinins have been attributed to the inhibition of
Toll-like receptors,
Syk tyrosine kinase,
phospholipase Cγ, PI3K/Akt, MAPK, STAT-1/3/5, NF-κB, Sp1 and Nrf2/ARE signaling pathways. This review provides a comprehensive update on non-malarial use of
artemisinins, modes of action of
artemisinins in different disease conditions, and drug development of
artemisinins beyond
anti-malarial. With the concerted efforts in the novel synthesis of
artemisinin analogs and clinical pharmacology of
artemisinins, it is likely that
artemisinin drugs will become a major armamentarium combating a variety of human diseases beyond
malaria.