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| Artemisinin — a plant-derived sesquiterpene lactone endoperoxide (from Artemisia annua) best known as the parent scaffold for artemisinin-class antimalarials and widely investigated as a tumor-selective redox/iron-reactive cytotoxic agent. It is a small-molecule natural product (drug-like phytochemical) whose major clinical derivatives include artesunate (water-soluble), artemether/arteether (lipophilic), and the active metabolite dihydroartemisinin (DHA). In oncology literature the abbreviation set commonly includes ART (artemisinin), AS (artesunate), and DHA (dihydroartemisinin); many mechanistic claims are derivative-specific and exposure/iron-context dependent. Primary mechanisms (ranked):
Bioavailability / PK relevance: Oral artemisinin has variable and generally limited systemic exposure with a short half-life on the order of hours; many anticancer in-vitro concentrations exceed typical achievable free-plasma levels without formulation strategies. Artesunate is rapidly converted to DHA; in an FDA label dataset (IV artesunate for severe malaria), artesunate has a very short half-life (~0.3 h) and DHA ~1.3 h, emphasizing exposure-time constraints and the need to interpret “ART/AS/DHA” PK separately. In-vitro vs systemic exposure relevance: Many reported anticancer effects are driven by oxidative stress at micromolar in-vitro conditions and may be difficult to reproduce systemically without targeted delivery, local administration, or combination strategies that increase intratumoral iron/ROS burden (context-dependent). Clinical evidence status: Cancer use remains investigational (preclinical-dominant with small/early human studies). Multiple registered clinical studies have evaluated artesunate/derivatives in oncology settings (e.g., phase I solid tumor IV artesunate; small/phase II-style neoadjuvant/adjunct trials), but there is no major regulatory approval for cancer indications; artesunate is approved/used clinically for severe malaria. Artemisinin a compound in a Chinese herb that may inhibit tumor growth and metastasis Artemisinin (antimalarial drugs)Artesunic acid (Artesunate) , Dihydroartemisinin (DHA), artesunate, arteether, and artemether, SM735, SM905, SM933, SM934, and SM1044 The induction of OS in tumor cells via the production of ROS is the key mechanism of ART against cancer. combination of ART and Nrf2 inhibitors to promote ferroptosis may have more efficient anticancer effects without damaging normal cells. Summary: - One of the strongest tumor-selective pro-oxidants, mechanism related with iron. Synergizes with iron-rich tumors -ROS seems to affect both cancer and normal cells - Delivery of artemisinin in conjugate form with transferrin or holotransferrin (serum iron transport proteins) have been shown to greatly improve its effectiveness. - Potential direct inhibitor of STAT3 - Artemisinin synergized with the glycolysis inhibitor 2DG (2-deoxy- D -glucose) ART Combined Therapy: Allicin, Resveratrol, Curcumin, VitC (but not orally at same time), Butyrate , 2-DG, Aminolevulinic AcidG -possible problems with liver toxicity?? -Artesunate (ART), an artemisinin compound, is known for lysosomal degradation of ferritin, inducing oxidative stress and promoting cancer cell death. Pathways: - Increasing reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. This oxidative stress can cause the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, leading to cytochrome c release and subsequent activation of caspase cascades. - Downregulate HIF-1α - By impairing glycolysis, artemisinin might force cells to rely on oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) for energy production. - Inhibit GLUT1 (glucose uptake), HK2, PKM2 (slow the glycolytic flux, thereby reducing the energy supply) - Minimal NRF2 activation -Artemisinin has a half-life of about 3-4 hours, Artesunate 40 minutes and Artemether 12 hours. Peak plasma levels occur in 1-2 hour. BioAv 21%, poor-good solubility. Artesunate (ART), a water soluble derivative of artemisinin. concentrations higher in blood, colon, liver, kidney (highly perfused organs) Pathways: - induce ROS production, iron dependent (affect both cancer and normal cells) - ROS↑ related: MMP↓(ΔΨm), ER Stress↑, UPR↑, GRP78↑, Ca+2↑, Cyt‑c↑, Caspases↑, DNA damage↑, cl-PARP↑, HSP↓, - Both Lowers (and raises) AntiOxidant defense in Cancer Cells: NRF2↓(contary), SOD↓, GSH↓ Catalase↓ GPx↓ - Small evidence of Raising AntiOxidant defense in Normal Cells: ROS↓(contary), NRF2↑, SOD↑(contary), GSH↑, Catalase↑, - lowers Inflammation : NF-kB↓, COX2↓, p38↓, Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines : NLRP3↓, TNF-α↓, IL-6↓, IL-8↓ - inhibit Growth/Metastases : TumMeta↓, TumCG↓, EMT↓, MMPs↓, MMP2↓, MMP9↓, TIMP2, IGF-1↓, uPA↓, VEGF↓, ROCK1↓, NF-κB↓, TGF-β↓, ERK↓ - cause Cell cycle arrest : TumCCA↑, cyclin D1↓, cyclin E↓, CDK2↓, CDK4↓, CDK6↓, - inhibits Migration/Invasion : TumCMig↓, TumCI↓, TNF-α↓, ERK↓, EMT↓, TOP1↓, - inhibits glycolysis /Warburg Effect and ATP depletion : HIF-1α↓, PKM2↓, cMyc↓, GLUT1↓, LDH↓, LDHA↓, HK2↓, ECAR↓, GRP78↑, GlucoseCon↓ - inhibits angiogenesis↓ : VEGF↓, HIF-1α↓, EGFR↓, Integrins↓, - some small indication of inhibiting Cancer Stem Cells : CSC↓, Hh↓, β-catenin↓, sox2↓, OCT4↓, - Others: PI3K↓, AKT↓, JAK↓, STAT↓, Wnt↓, β-catenin↓, AMPK, ERK↓, JNK, - Synergies: chemo-sensitization, RadioSensitizer, Others(review target notes), - Selectivity: Cancer Cells vs Normal Cells Often synergistic with ROS-based chemo Artemisinin-class (ART/AS/DHA) mechanisms relevant to cancer biology
TSF legend: P: 0–30 min R: 30 min–3 hr G: >3 hr |
| Source: |
| Type: type of cell death |
| Type of programmed cell death dependent on iron. Ferroptosis is a form of regulated cell death characterized by the accumulation of lipid peroxides to lethal levels. It is distinct from other forms of cell death, such as apoptosis, necrosis, and autophagy. The process of ferroptosis is heavily dependent on iron metabolism and reactive oxygen species (ROS). The accumulation of lipid peroxides is a hallmark of ferroptosis. This can occur when the antioxidant defenses, such as glutathione and selenoproteins, are overwhelmed or inhibited. Many cancer cells upregulate GPX4 to evade ferroptosis, making it a potential target for therapy. It has been described that GPX4, xCT and ACSL-4 are the main targets in the regulation of ferroptosis. |
| 3396- | ART/DHA, | Progress on the study of the anticancer effects of artesunate |
| - | Review, | Var, | NA |
| 3395- | ART/DHA, | Artesunate Induces Ferroptosis in Hepatic Stellate Cells and Alleviates Liver Fibrosis via the ROCK1/ATF3 Axis |
| - | in-vitro, | NA, | HSC-T6 |
| 3390- | ART/DHA, | Ferroptosis: The Silver Lining of Cancer Therapy |
| 3387- | ART/DHA, | Ferroptosis: A New Research Direction of Artemisinin and Its Derivatives in Anti-Cancer Treatment |
| - | Review, | Var, | NA |
| 3384- | ART/DHA, | Dihydroartemisinin triggers ferroptosis in primary liver cancer cells by promoting and unfolded protein response‑induced upregulation of CHAC1 expression |
| - | in-vitro, | Liver, | Hep3B | - | in-vitro, | Liver, | HUH7 | - | in-vitro, | Liver, | HepG2 |
| 3382- | ART/DHA, | Repurposing Artemisinin and its Derivatives as Anticancer Drugs: A Chance or Challenge? |
| - | Review, | Var, | NA |
| 3345- | ART/DHA, | Dihydroartemisinin-induced unfolded protein response feedback attenuates ferroptosis via PERK/ATF4/HSPA5 pathway in glioma cells |
| - | in-vitro, | GBM, | NA |
| 5381- | ART/DHA, | Artemisitene triggers calcium-dependent ferroptosis by disrupting the LSH-EWSR1 interaction in colorectal cancer |
| - | in-vitro, | CRC, | HCT116 | - | in-vitro, | Nor, | NCM460 | - | in-vitro, | CRC, | HT29 | - | in-vitro, | CRC, | HCT8 |
| 5380- | ART/DHA, | Artemisinin and Its Derivatives as Potential Anticancer Agents |
| - | Review, | Var, | NA |
| 5378- | ART/DHA, | Natural Agents Modulating Ferroptosis in Cancer: Molecular Pathways and Therapeutic Perspectives |
| - | Review, | Var, | NA |
| 5377- | ART/DHA, | Dihydroartemisinin-induced ferroptosis in acute myeloid leukemia: links to iron metabolism and metallothionein |
| - | in-vitro, | AML, | NA |
| 5376- | ART/DHA, | Artemisinin compounds sensitize cancer cells to ferroptosis by regulating iron homeostasis |
| - | in-vitro, | CRC, | HCT116 | - | in-vitro, | CRC, | HT29 | - | in-vitro, | CRC, | SW48 | - | in-vitro, | BC, | MDA-MB-453 |
| 4993- | ART/DHA, | Dihydroartemisinin inhibits galectin-1–induced ferroptosis resistance and peritoneal metastasis of gastric cancer via the Nrf2–HO-1 pathway |
| - | vitro+vivo, | GC, | NA |
| 4991- | ART/DHA, | doxoR, | Dihydroartemisinin alleviates doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity and ferroptosis by activating Nrf2 and regulating autophagy |
| - | in-vivo, | Nor, | H9c2 |
| 575- | ART/DHA, | Dihydroartemisinin initiates ferroptosis in glioblastoma through GPX4 inhibition |
| - | in-vitro, | GBM, | U87MG |
| 556- | ART/DHA, | Artemisinins as a novel anti-cancer therapy: Targeting a global cancer pandemic through drug repurposing |
| - | Review, | NA, | NA |
| 1026- | ART/DHA, | Artemisinin improves the efficiency of anti-PD-L1 therapy in T-cell lymphoma |
| 2575- | ART/DHA, | docx, | Artemisia santolinifolia-Mediated Chemosensitization via Activation of Distinct Cell Death Modes and Suppression of STAT3/Survivin-Signaling Pathways in NSCLC |
| - | in-vitro, | Lung, | H23 |
| 1076- | ART/DHA, | The Potential Mechanisms by which Artemisinin and Its Derivatives Induce Ferroptosis in the Treatment of Cancer |
| - | Review, | NA, | NA |
Query results interpretion may depend on "conditions" listed in the research papers. Such Conditions may include : -low or high Dose -format for product, such as nano of lipid formations -different cell line effects -synergies with other products -if effect was for normal or cancerous cells
Filter Conditions: Pro/AntiFlg:% IllCat:% CanType:% Cells:% prod#:34 Target#:114 State#:% Dir#:%
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