Artemisinin, also named
qinghaosu, is a family of
sesquiterpene trioxane
lactone originally derived from the sweet wormwood plant (Artemisia annua), which is a traditional Chinese herb that has been universally used as
anti-malarial agents for many years. Evidence has accumulated during the past few years which demonstrated the protective effects of
artemisinin and its derivatives (
artemisinins) in several other diseases beyond
malaria, including
cancers, autoimmune disorders, inflammatory
diseases, viral and other parasite-related
infections. Recently, this long-considered
anti-malarial agent has been proved to possess
anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic and anti-excitotoxic properties, which make it a potential treatment option for the ocular environment. In this review, we first described the overview of
artemisinins, highlighting the activity of
artemisinins to other diseases beyond
malaria and the mechanisms of these actions. We then emphasized the main points of published results of using
artemisinins in targeting ocular disorders, including
uveitis,
retinoblastoma,
retinal neurodegenerative diseases and ocular neovascularization. To conclude, we believe that
artemisinins could also be used as a promising therapeutic drug for ocular diseases, especially
retinal vascular diseases in the near future.