Artemisinin
Find information on thousands of medical conditions and prescription drugs.

Artesunate

Artemisinin is a drug used to treat multi-drug resistant strains of falciparum malaria. The compound (a sesquiterpene lactone) is isolated from the shrub Artemisia annua long-used in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Not all shrubs of this species contain artemisinin. Apparently it is only produced when the plant is subjected to certain conditions. more...

Home
Diseases
Medicines
A
8-Hour Bayer
Abacavir
Abamectin
Abarelix
Abciximab
Abelcet
Abilify
Abreva
Acamprosate
Acarbose
Accolate
Accoleit
Accupril
Accurbron
Accure
Accuretic
Accutane
Acebutolol
Aceclidine
Acepromazine
Acesulfame
Acetaminophen
Acetazolamide
Acetohexamide
Acetohexamide
Acetylcholine chloride
Acetylcysteine
Acetyldigitoxin
Aciclovir
Acihexal
Acilac
Aciphex
Acitretin
Actifed
Actigall
Actiq
Actisite
Actonel
Actos
Acular
Acyclovir
Adalat
Adapalene
Adderall
Adefovir
Adrafinil
Adriamycin
Adriamycin
Advicor
Advil
Aerobid
Aerolate
Afrinol
Aggrenox
Agomelatine
Agrylin
Airomir
Alanine
Alavert
Albendazole
Alcaine
Alclometasone
Aldomet
Aldosterone
Alesse
Aleve
Alfenta
Alfentanil
Alfuzosin
Alimta
Alkeran
Alkeran
Allegra
Allopurinol
Alora
Alosetron
Alpidem
Alprazolam
Altace
Alteplase
Alvircept sudotox
Amantadine
Amaryl
Ambien
Ambisome
Amfetamine
Amicar
Amifostine
Amikacin
Amiloride
Amineptine
Aminocaproic acid
Aminoglutethimide
Aminophenazone
Aminophylline
Amiodarone
Amisulpride
Amitraz
Amitriptyline
Amlodipine
Amobarbital
Amohexal
Amoxapine
Amoxicillin
Amoxil
Amphetamine
Amphotec
Amphotericin B
Ampicillin
Anafranil
Anagrelide
Anakinra
Anaprox
Anastrozole
Ancef
Android
Anexsia
Aniracetam
Antabuse
Antitussive
Antivert
Apidra
Apresoline
Aquaphyllin
Aquaphyllin
Aranesp
Aranesp
Arava
Arestin
Arestin
Argatroban
Argatroban
Argatroban
Argatroban
Arginine
Arginine
Aricept
Aricept
Arimidex
Arimidex
Aripiprazole
Aripiprazole
Arixtra
Arixtra
Artane
Artane
Artemether
Artemether
Artemisinin
Artemisinin
Artesunate
Artesunate
Arthrotec
Arthrotec
Asacol
Ascorbic acid
Asmalix
Aspartame
Aspartic acid
Aspirin
Astemizole
Atacand
Atarax
Atehexal
Atenolol
Ativan
Atorvastatin
Atosiban
Atovaquone
Atridox
Atropine
Atrovent
Augmentin
Aureomycin
Avandia
Avapro
Avinza
Avizafone
Avobenzone
Avodart
Axid
Axotal
Azacitidine
Azahexal
Azathioprine
Azelaic acid
Azimilide
Azithromycin
Azlocillin
Azmacort
Aztreonam
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z

Cancer Treatment

Artemisinin is also under early research and testing for treatment of cancer. Artemisinin has a peroxide lactone group in its structure. It is thought that when the peroxide comes into contact with high iron concentrations (common in cancerous cells), the molecule becomes unstable and releases reactive oxygen species. It has been shown to reduce angiogenesis and the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor in some tissue cultures.

History

Artemisia has been used by Chinese herbalists for more than a thousand years in the treatment of many illnesses, such as skin diseases and malaria. In the 1960s a research program was set up by the Chinese army to find an adequate treatment of malaria. In 1972, in the course of this research, Tu Youyou discovered artemsinin in the leaves of Artemisia annua. The drug is named qinghaosu (青蒿素) in Chinese. It was one of many candidates then tested by Chinese scientists from a list of nearly 200 traditional Chinese medicines for treating malaria. It was the only one that was effective.

It remained largely unknown to the rest of the world for about 10 years, due to the Communist Chinese government at the time. The rest of the world finally found out about the drug from an article in a Chinese medical journal. People were sceptical at first, because the Chinese had made unsubstantiated statements about having found treatments of malaria before. Another reason was the peroxide part of the molecule. It was thought unlikely this would be a stable molecule, and so would not last long enough to be effective. This turned out not to be the case.

The Chinese government at the time, however, was very wary of western scientists, and would not give anyone either the plant or the refined drug. People around the world now started looking for the shrub themselves, to see if they could find it. They finally found it along the Potomac river, in Washington, D.C. Apparently it was a very common shrub, found in many parts of the world--In fact, it was often treated as a garden weed. It took another 10 years of research before the drug finally became commercially available. By this time relations between Communist China and the rest of the world had improved, and scientific information could be exchanged.

The drug is used these days in China and Vietnam without much regard to taking precautions against creating resistance of the malaria parasite to this drug as well, but nevertheless no resistance has been encountered in these parts of the world. Because ot the method of action, it is unlikely that resistance to artemisinine and derivatives will become a problem in the near future.

Read more at Wikipedia.org


[List your site here Free!]



Malaria drug boosts recovery rates - Biomedicine - artesunate derived from sweet worm-wood - Brief Article
Adding a drug derived from the Chinese herbal medicine known as sweet worm-wood boosts the effectiveness of standard malaria treatment, even in some ...
Blackwater fever in children, Burundi
Blackwater fever is characterized by acute intravascular hemolysis with hemoglobinuria in patients with Plasmodium falciparum malaria. Its pathogenesis ...
Artemisia annua: herbal use vs isolated active
The species of wormwood known as Artemisia annua has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for the treatment of fevers and malaria for many centuries.
Preventive drugs protect children
Giving children a course of antimalarial drugs during the rainy season in malaria zones prevents many from contracting the mosquito-borne disease, researchers ...
Efficacy of arteether in chloroquine resistant falciparum malaria in eastern India
Background & objectives: Morbidity and mortality due to falciparum malaria are increasing in many tropical areas. The situation is further complicated ...
management of severe falciparum malaria, The
Editorials Plasmodium falciparum malaria kills over 5,000 people every day. Most of these deaths are in African children but many are in nonimmune adults.
Artemisinin: from malaria to cancer treatment
Artemisinin, the key ingredient obtained from Artemisia annua, has a long history of use as an antimalarial remedy. Artemisia annua, or "sweet wormwood," ...
Low-cost quality assurance of medicines using the GPHF-Minilab
A mini-laboratory to help developing countries detect counterfeit and substandard medicines has been developed by the German Pharma Health Fund (GPHF), ...

Home Contact Resources Exchange Links ebay