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Review
. 2024 Aug 16;29(16):3886.
doi: 10.3390/molecules29163886.

Artemisinin and Its Derivatives as Potential Anticancer Agents

Luan Wen  1 , Ben Chung-Lap Chan  1 , Ming-Hua Qiu  2 , Ping-Chung Leung  1 , Chun-Kwok Wong  1   3   4
Affiliations
Review

Artemisinin and Its Derivatives as Potential Anticancer Agents

Luan Wen et al. Molecules. .

Abstract

Artemisinin is a natural sesquiterpene lactone obtained from the traditional Chinese medicinal herb Artemisia annua L. (qinghao). Artemisinin and its derivatives share an unusual endoperoxide bridge and are extensively used for malaria treatment worldwide. In addition to antimalarial activities, artemisinin and its derivatives have been reported to exhibit promising anticancer effects in recent decades. In this review, we focused on the research progress of artemisinin and its derivatives with potential anticancer activities. The pharmacological effects, potential mechanisms, and clinical trials in cancer therapy of artemisinin and its derivatives were discussed. This review may facilitate the future exploration of artemisinin and its derivatives as effective anticancer agents.

Keywords: anticancer activity; artemisinin; artesunate; dihydroartemisinin.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Chemical structures of artemisinin and its typical derivatives.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Chemical structures of artemisinin and its monomeric derivatives.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Chemical structures of artemisinin-derived dimers.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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