Artemisinin, the Magic Drug Discovered from Traditional Chinese Medicine
Jigang Wang,
Chengchao Xu,
Yin Kwan Wong,
Yujie Li,
Fulong Liao,
Tingliang Jiang,
Youyou Tu
Affiliations
Jigang Wang
Artemisinin Research Center, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China; Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China; Department of Pharmacology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117600, Singapore; Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117597, Singapore
Chengchao Xu
Department of Pharmacology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117600, Singapore
Yin Kwan Wong
Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117597, Singapore
Yujie Li
Artemisinin Research Center, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China; Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China
Fulong Liao
Artemisinin Research Center, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China; Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China
Tingliang Jiang
Artemisinin Research Center, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China; Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China
Youyou Tu
Artemisinin Research Center, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China; Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China; Corresponding author.
Artemisinin and its derivatives represent the most important and influential class of drugs in the fight against malaria. Since the discovery of artemisinin in the early 1970s, the global community has made great strides in characterizing and understanding this remarkable phytochemical and its unique chemical and pharmacological properties. Today, even as artemisinin continues to serve as the foundation for antimalarial therapy, numerous challenges have surfaced in the continued application and development of this family of drugs. These challenges include the emergence of delayed treatment responses to artemisinins in malaria and efforts to apply artemisinins for non-malarial indications. Here, we provide an overview of the story of artemisinin in terms of its past, present, and future. In particular, we comment on the current understanding of the mechanism of action (MOA) of artemisinins, and emphasize the importance of relating mechanistic studies to therapeutic outcomes, both in malarial and non-malarial contexts. Keywords: Artemisinin, Mechanism of action, Malaria, Anti-cancer
