Discovery and repurposing of artemisinin.
10.1007/s11684-021-0898-6
- Author:
Qiaoli SHI
1
;
Fei XIA
1
;
Qixin WANG
1
;
Fulong LIAO
1
;
Qiuyan GUO
2
;
Chengchao XU
3
;
Jigang WANG
4
Author Information
1. Artemisinin Research Center, and Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100700, China.
2. Artemisinin Research Center, and Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100700, China. qyguo@icmm.ac.cn.
3. Artemisinin Research Center, and Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100700, China. ccxu@icmm.ac.cn.
4. Artemisinin Research Center, and Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100700, China. jgwang@icmm.ac.cn.
- Publication Type:Review
- Keywords:
COVID-19;
artemisinin;
cancer;
drug repurposing;
inflammation;
traditional Chinese medicine
- MeSH:
Artemisinins/therapeutic use*;
COVID-19/drug therapy*;
Drug Repositioning;
Humans;
Medicine, Chinese Traditional;
Neoplasms/drug therapy*
- From:Frontiers of Medicine
2022;16(1):1-9
- CountryChina
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
Malaria is an ancient infectious disease that threatens millions of lives globally even today. The discovery of artemisinin, inspired by traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), has brought in a paradigm shift and been recognized as the "best hope for the treatment of malaria" by World Health Organization. With its high potency and low toxicity, the wide use of artemisinin effectively treats the otherwise drug-resistant parasites and helps many countries, including China, to eventually eradicate malaria. Here, we will first review the initial discovery of artemisinin, an extraordinary journey that was in stark contrast with many drugs in western medicine. We will then discuss how artemisinin and its derivatives could be repurposed to treat cancer, inflammation, immunoregulation-related diseases, and COVID-19. Finally, we will discuss the implications of the "artemisinin story" and how that can better guide the development of TCM today. We believe that artemisinin is just a starting point and TCM will play an even bigger role in healthcare in the 21st century.
