Database Query Results : Artemisinin, , TumCG

ART/DHA, Artemisinin: Click to Expand ⟱
Features:

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):

  1. Iron-dependent activation of the endoperoxide bridge causing ROS/lipid peroxidation stress and tumor-selective cytotoxicity (iron-high contexts)
  2. Ferroptosis sensitization/induction via iron handling and lipid peroxidation programs (often linked to ferritin/lysosome biology; context-dependent)
  3. Mitochondrial dysfunction with ΔΨm loss and intrinsic apoptosis signaling (downstream of oxidative stress)
  4. ER stress / UPR activation (stress-amplification axis)
  5. Hypoxia–metabolism suppression (HIF-1α and glycolysis program attenuation; model-dependent)
  6. Pro-survival inflammatory signaling suppression (e.g., NF-κB / STAT3 axes; model-dependent)

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

Rank Pathway / Axis Cancer Cells Normal Cells TSF Primary Effect Notes / Interpretation
1 Iron-activated endoperoxide chemistry and ROS burden ROS↑, lipid peroxidation↑, macromolecular damage↑ (iron-high contexts) ROS↔ to ↑ (dose-dependent) P Pro-oxidant, tumor-biased cytotoxic stress Core premise: iron availability (labile iron pool, heme/Fe²⁺ context) gates potency and selectivity; derivative and formulation matter.
2 Ferroptosis susceptibility Ferroptosis↑ (context-dependent), lipid-ROS↑ Ferroptosis↔ (context-dependent) R Non-apoptotic death program engagement or sensitization Evidence supports artemisinin-compounds as ferroptosis sensitizers/inducers in multiple models; often tied to iron handling and lipid peroxidation control nodes.
3 Ferritin and lysosome axis Ferritin turnover↑ / lysosomal iron↑ (model-dependent) → ROS↑ ↔ (model-dependent) R Iron mobilization that amplifies oxidative injury DHA/derivatives have been reported to engage ferritin/lysosome-related processes that increase reactive iron, supporting ferroptotic and apoptotic stress amplification.
4 Mitochondria and MPTP ΔΨm↓, mitochondrial ROS↑, Cyt-c release↑, apoptosis↑ Stress responses↔ to ↑ (dose-dependent) R Intrinsic apoptosis downstream of redox injury Mitochondrial impairment is commonly reported as a downstream execution route after ROS/iron activation; can intersect with ferroptosis via redox spillover.
5 ER stress and UPR ER stress↑, UPR↑ ↔ to ↑ (stress-dose dependent) R Proteostasis collapse / stress signaling Often co-occurs with ROS-driven injury; may contribute to growth arrest and death pathway crosstalk.
6 HIF-1α axis HIF-1α↓ (model-dependent) ↔ G Anti-hypoxic adaptation Reported suppression of hypoxia programs may reduce angiogenic and glycolytic adaptation in some tumors.
7 Glycolysis and glucose transport Glycolysis↓, GLUT1/HK2/PKM2↓ (model-dependent) ↔ (context-dependent) G Metabolic constraint Metabolic effects vary by cell state; can synergize with glycolysis inhibitors in model systems.
8 STAT3 axis STAT3↓ (model-dependent) ↔ G Pro-survival transcriptional attenuation Reported in subsets of studies; may contribute to reduced proliferation/survival signaling.
9 NF-κB and inflammatory signaling NF-κB↓, inflammatory cytokine programs↓ (model-dependent) Inflammation↓ (context-dependent) G Anti-inflammatory / pro-differentiation pressure Can be beneficial for tumor microenvironment modulation, but directionality and net effect depend on immune context.
10 NRF2 axis NRF2↔ (model-dependent; adaptive resistance possible) NRF2↔ to ↑ (context-dependent) G Redox adaptation gatekeeper NRF2 status can determine sensitivity vs resistance to ROS/ferroptosis; combinations that blunt NRF2 defenses are often proposed experimentally.
11 Clinical Translation Constraint Short exposure window; achievable concentrations may be below many in-vitro active ranges; heterogeneity in iron/redox state; derivative-specific PK Off-target oxidative stress risk (dose/formulation dependent) G Limits systemic reproducibility Interpret ART vs AS vs DHA separately; artesunate→DHA conversion is rapid and half-lives are short (route-dependent). Targeted delivery and combination strategies are common translational approaches.

TSF legend: P: 0–30 min    R: 30 min–3 hr    G: >3 hr
TumCG, Tumor cell growth: Click to Expand ⟱
Source:
Type:
Normal cells grow and divide in a regulated manner through the cell cycle, which consists of phases (G1, S, G2, and M).
Cancer cells often bypass these regulatory mechanisms, leading to uncontrolled proliferation. This can result from mutations in genes that control the cell cycle, such as oncogenes (which promote cell division) and tumor suppressor genes (which inhibit cell division).
Scientific Papers found: Click to Expand⟱
2582- ART/DHA,  5-ALA,    Mechanistic Investigation of the Specific Anticancer Property of Artemisinin and Its Combination with Aminolevulinic Acid for Enhanced Anticolorectal Cancer Activity
- in-vivo, CRC, HCT116 - in-vitro, CRC, HCT116
eff↑, Guided by this mechanism, the specific cytotoxicity of ART toward CRC cells can be dramatically enhanced with the addition of aminolevulinic acid (ALA), a clinically used heme synthesis precursor, to increase heme levels
ROS↑, We found that artesunate significantly increased ROS levels (Figure 4f) in HCT116 cells
selectivity↑, In contrast, heme levels in normal cells and tissues are strictly controlled and maintained at lower levels, minimizing ART’s activation, which could possibly explain the specificity and low toxicity of ART.
TumCG↓, Strikingly, the combination of artesunate and ALA showed significant tumor growth delay in comparison to both the control and the artesunate or ALA single treatment groups
toxicity↓, Since both artesunate and ALA are clinically used and well-tolerated, (52) this combination has the potential to be safely applied to subsequent clinical testing

5135- ART/DHA,    Dihydroartemisinin Inhibits mTORC1 Signaling by Activating the AMPK Pathway in Rhabdomyosarcoma Tumor Cells
- vitro+vivo, Var, NA
mTORC1↓, Dihydroartemisinin (DHA), an anti-malarial drug, has been shown to possess potent anticancer activity, partly by inhibiting the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) complex 1 (mTORC1)
AMPK↑, DHA activated AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK).
TumCG↓, treatment with artesunate, a prodrug of DHA, dose-dependently inhibited tumor growth and concurrently activated AMPK and suppressed mTORC1 in RMS xenografts.

5380- ART/DHA,    Artemisinin and Its Derivatives as Potential Anticancer Agents
- Review, Var, NA
TumCG↓, Artemisinin (1, Figure 2) could suppress cell growth [16], reduce angiogenesis-related factors [17], and induce ferroptosis [18] in breast cancer cell lines
angioG↓,
Ferroptosis↑,
TumCP↑, Dihydroartemisinin (2, Figure 2) exhibited anticancer effects against breast cancer by suppressing cell proliferation [16], inhibiting angiogenesis [19], inducing autophagy [20] and pyroptosis [21], and targeting cancer stem cells (CSCs) [
TumAuto↑,
CSCs↑,
eff↑, Dihydroartemisinin is more potent than artemisinin, as the IC50 values at 24 h were lower on MCF-7 (129.1 μM versus 396.6 μM) and MDA-MB-231 (62.95 μM versus 336.63 μM)
YAP/TEAD↓, Additionally, dihydroartemisinin was proven to have the ability to reduce the expression of yes-associated protein 1 (YAP1), which has been commonly used as a prognostic marker in liver cancer.
TumCCA↑, induced G0/G1 cell cycle arrest and apoptosis by promoting oxygen species (ROS) accumulation.
ROS↑,
ChemoSen↑, The application of combination treatment using artemisinin and its derivatives with commonly used chemotherapy drugs, such as cisplatin, carboplatin, doxorubicin, temozolomide, etc., always exhibits significantly improved anticancer effects
N-cadherin↓, and inhibiting the proliferation, colony formation, and invasiveness of colon cancer cells by inhibiting NRP2, N-cadherin, and Vimentin expression
Vim↓,
MMP9↓, by decreasing the expression of HuR and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 proteins [24],
eff↑, Further investigations suggested that both dihydroartemisinin treatment and the loss of PRIM2 could lead to a decreased GSH level and induce cellular lipid ROS and mitochondrial MDA expression.
STAT3↓, Recently, artemisinin and its derivatives were reported to have potential as direct STAT3 inhibitors [98].
CD133↓, dihydroartemisinin treatment could significantly reduce the expression of CSC markers (CD133, CD44, Nanog, c-Myc, and OCT4) by downregulating Akt/mTOR pathway
CD44↓,
Nanog↓,
cMyc↓,
OCT4↓,
Akt↓,
mTOR↓,

5130- ART/DHA,    Dihydroartemisinin Induces Apoptosis in Human Bladder Cancer Cell Lines Through Reactive Oxygen Species, Mitochondrial Membrane Potential, and Cytochrome C Pathway
- in-vitro, Bladder, T24/HTB-9
tumCV↓, DHA significantly reduced cell viability in a dose-dependent manner.
eff↓, Cytotoxicity of DHA was suppressed by N-acetylcysteine (NAC)
Apoptosis↑, induction of cell apoptosis, which were manifested by annexin V-FITC staining, activation of caspase-3
Casp3↑,
ROS↑, DHA also increased ROS generation, cytochrome c release, and loss of mitochondrial transmembrane potential (ΔΨm) in cells.
Cyt‑c↑,
MMP↓,
Bcl-2↓, downregulation of regulatory protein Bcl-2 and upregulation of Bax protein by DHA were also observed
BAX↑,
MOMP↑, Dihydroartemisinin increases mitochondrial permeability of EJ-138 and HTB-9 cells by Collapse of ΔΨm
TumCG↓, It has shown that DHA selectively inhibits the growth of many cancer cells types, such as leukemia,[29] pancreas,[30] breast[31] and prostate[32] cancers

570- ART/DHA,    Artemisinin and its derivatives can significantly inhibit lung tumorigenesis and tumor metastasis through Wnt/β-catenin signaling
- vitro+vivo, NSCLC, A549 - vitro+vivo, NSCLC, H1299
TumCCA↑, arresting cell cycle in G1 phase.
CSCs↓,
TumCI↓,
TumCMig↓,
TumCG↓,
Wnt/(β-catenin)↓, main pathway
Nanog↓,
SOX2↓,
OCT4↓, oct3/4
N-cadherin↓,
Vim↓,
E-cadherin↑,

561- ART/DHA,    Antitumor and immunomodulatory properties of artemether and its ability to reduce CD4+ CD25+ FoxP3+ T reg cells in vivo
- in-vivo, NA, NA
TumCG↓,
CD4+↓,
CD25+↓,
FoxP3+↓,
IL4↑,

2576- ART/DHA,  AL,    The Synergistic Anticancer Effect of Artesunate Combined with Allicin in Osteosarcoma Cell Line in Vitro and in Vivo
- in-vitro, OS, MG63 - in-vivo, NA, NA
eff↑, Our results indicated that artesunate and allicin in combination exert synergistic effects on osteosarcoma cell proliferation and apoptosis.
tumCV↓,
Casp3↑, apoptotic rate was significantly increased through caspase-3/9 expression and activity enhancement
Casp9↑,
Apoptosis↑,
TumCG↓, Combination suppresses in vivo tumor growth

1147- ART/DHA,    Inhibitory effects of artesunate on angiogenesis and on expressions of vascular endothelial growth factor and VEGF receptor KDR/flk-1
- vitro+vivo, Ovarian, HO-8910 - vitro+vivo, Nor, HUVECs
angioG↓, 0.5 approximately 50 micromol/l
TumCG↓,
VEGF↓, remarkably lowered VEGF expression on tumor cells
KDR/FLK-1↓,
*toxicity↓, known low toxicity of ART


* indicates research on normal cells as opposed to diseased cells
Total Research Paper Matches: 8

Pathway results for Effect on Cancer / Diseased Cells:


Redox & Oxidative Stress ⓘ

Ferroptosis↑, 1,   ROS↑, 3,  

Mitochondria & Bioenergetics ⓘ

MMP↓, 1,  

Core Metabolism/Glycolysis ⓘ

AMPK↑, 1,   cMyc↓, 1,  

Cell Death ⓘ

Akt↓, 1,   Apoptosis↑, 2,   BAX↑, 1,   Bcl-2↓, 1,   Casp3↑, 2,   Casp9↑, 1,   Cyt‑c↑, 1,   Ferroptosis↑, 1,   MOMP↑, 1,   YAP/TEAD↓, 1,  

Transcription & Epigenetics ⓘ

tumCV↓, 2,  

Autophagy & Lysosomes ⓘ

TumAuto↑, 1,  

Cell Cycle & Senescence ⓘ

TumCCA↑, 2,  

Proliferation, Differentiation & Cell State ⓘ

CD133↓, 1,   CD44↓, 1,   CSCs↓, 1,   CSCs↑, 1,   mTOR↓, 1,   mTORC1↓, 1,   Nanog↓, 2,   OCT4↓, 2,   SOX2↓, 1,   STAT3↓, 1,   TumCG↓, 8,   Wnt/(β-catenin)↓, 1,  

Migration ⓘ

E-cadherin↑, 1,   MMP9↓, 1,   N-cadherin↓, 2,   TumCI↓, 1,   TumCMig↓, 1,   TumCP↑, 1,   Vim↓, 2,  

Angiogenesis & Vasculature ⓘ

angioG↓, 2,   KDR/FLK-1↓, 1,   VEGF↓, 1,  

Immune & Inflammatory Signaling ⓘ

CD25+↓, 1,   CD4+↓, 1,   FoxP3+↓, 1,   IL4↑, 1,  

Drug Metabolism & Resistance ⓘ

ChemoSen↑, 1,   eff↓, 1,   eff↑, 4,   selectivity↑, 1,  

Functional Outcomes ⓘ

toxicity↓, 1,  
Total Targets: 49

Pathway results for Effect on Normal Cells:


Functional Outcomes ⓘ

toxicity↓, 1,  
Total Targets: 1

Scientific Paper Hit Count for: TumCG, Tumor cell growth
8 Artemisinin
1 5-Aminolevulinic acid
1 Allicin (mainly Garlic)
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#:323  State#:%  Dir#:%
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