The anticancer activity of Artemisinin

Artemisinin, a Chinese herb also known as Qinghao Su, is one of the most effective treatments against malaria. It was Dr. Tu Youyou who first isolated this compound from a herbal tea called sweet wormwood

Artemisia annua or sweet wormwood

. In recent years, Artemisinin has been studied and used in cancer treatment, as a potential therapy for various types of cancer. Studies have shown that it has the ability to kill cancer cells by creating reactive oxygen species and disrupting the mitochondrial electron transport chain. It is especially effective in treating certain types of leukemia, lymphomas and brain tumors. Artemisinin has been used in combination with other treatments such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy, in order to increase the effectiveness of the treatment. It is also being studied for its potential to be used as an adjuvant therapy for improving the quality of life in cancer patients.Artemisinin can kill off cancer cells at a rate of 12,000 cancer cells for every healthy cell, so it is very selective against cancer cells.

Artemisinin alters the expression of genes involved in development, proliferation and migration. {ref}

In a laboratory setting, chemoresistant cancer cells showed no resistance to artemisinin.

Artemisinin and its derivatives can generate ROS within cancer cells.

Potent anti-cancer effect by activating NK cells.

In animal studies, Artemisinin is able to prevent cancer.

Angiogenesis inhibition. {ref}

Downregulation of Axl: Artemisinin acts by inhibiting the protein, Axl, which is a receptor tyrosine kinase. Axl is involved in cell signaling and plays a role in cell migration, proliferation and survival.

HDAC inhibition

FoxM1 inhibitor {ref}

GOT1 inhibition.

Ferroptosis inducer

Artesunate is a semi-synthetic derivative of artemisinin

Video on Artemisinin by Dr. Henry Lai

↪ Artemisinin  🔶 Possible side effects and interactions
↪ able to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB)

↪ Half-life 1-2 hours

↪ Dihydroartemisinin (DHA) is the active metabolite of artemisinin

Synergy

• → Honokiol 🛈
• → Sodium Butyrate / Tributyrin 🛈{study}
• → Allicin {study}
• → Resveratrol {study}
• Artesunate → Ellagic acid {study}
• → chloroquine {study}
• →  Zinc
• Flavonoids from Artemisia annua L. as Antioxidants and Their Potential Synergism with Artemisinin against Malaria and Cancer {ref}
• Anti-inflammatory effect and modulation of cytochrome P450 activities by Artemisia annua tea infusions in human intestinal Caco-2 cells {ref}

👉 In my view, no iron supplementation is needed with or prior to artemisinin supplementation, and in fact probably best avoided.

References & Sources

• Mitochondria-Targeted Honokiol Confers a Striking Inhibitory Effect on Lung Cancer via Inhibiting Complex I Activity
• Dihydroartemisinin inhibits prostate cancer via JARID2/miR-7/miR-34a-dependent downregulation of Axl
• The Effects of Artemisinin on the Cytolytic Activity of Natural Killer (NK) Cells
• Artemisinin Induces Apoptosis in Human Cancer Cells
• http://www.washington.edu/news/2008/10/13/scientists-develop-new-cancer-killing-compound-from-salad-plant/
• https://www.hindawi.com/journals/bmri/2012/247597/
• Artemisinin and curcumin inhibit Drosophila brain tumor, prolong life span, and restore locomotor activity.
• Artemisinin our Ultimate Cancer Weapon a Gift from China
• Safety of artemisinin and its derivatives. A review of published and unpublished clinical trials
• http://www.holisticcancersolutions.com/artemisinin_report.htm
• https://www.townsendletter.com/Dec2002/artemisinin1202.htm
• https://www.intechopen.com/books/research-directions-in-tumor-angiogenesis/the-use-of-artemisinin-compounds-as-angiogenesis-inhibitors-to-treat-cancer
• https://www.researchgate.net/publication/12105846_The_role_of_glutathione_in_the_neurotoxicity_of_artemisinin_derivatives_in_vitro
• https://www.researchgate.net/publication/273577523_Magnolol_and_honokiol_regulate_the_calcium-activated_potassium_channels_signaling_pathway_in_Enterotoxigenic_Escherichia_coli-induced_diarrhea_mice
• Scientists study the ability of sweet wormwood in fighting breast cancer
• Identification of artesunate as a specific activator of ferroptosis in pancreatic cancer cells
• Retrospective study of small pet tumors treated with Artemisia annua
• http://www.medicinacomplementar.com.br/biblioteca/pdfs/Cancer/ca-1735.pdf
• Activity of drugs from traditional Chinese medicine toward sensitive and MDR1- or MRP1-overexpressing multidrug-resistant human CCRF-CEM leukemia cells
• Progress on the study of the anticancer effects of artesunate (Review)
• Willmar Schwabe Award 2006: antiplasmodial and antitumor activity of artemisinin--from bench to bedside
• Dried-leaf Artemisia annua: A practical malaria therapeutic for developing countries? {ref}
• Combination treatment with artemisinin and oxaliplatin inhibits tumorigenesis in esophageal cancer EC109 cell through Wnt/β‐catenin signaling pathway {ref}