Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Dec 9;11(1):e41086.
doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e41086. eCollection 2025 Jan 15.

Emerging trends and new developments in global research on artemisinin and its derivatives

Yu Lai  1 , Huize Zhang  1 , Xi Chen  1
Affiliations

Emerging trends and new developments in global research on artemisinin and its derivatives

Yu Lai et al. Heliyon. .

Abstract

Background: The World Health Organization recommends the use of artemisinin (ART) and its derivatives for malaria treatment. Furthermore, these compounds exhibit encouraging pharmacological effects for the treatment of several diseases. Nevertheless, ongoing antimalarial treatment efforts have been significantly hindered by the emergence of drug resistance. A systematic evaluation and analysis of relevant studies may yield insights to help resolve this dilemma and reveal options for future research.

Purpose: The objective of this study was to provide researchers with a comprehensive synopsis of the advancements made in the study of ART and its significant derivatives, as well as to visually present the data and provide insightful observations that can inform subsequent investigations in this domain.

Methods: We searched the Web of Science Core Collection for relevant studies published by December 31, 2023. The research hotspots and frontiers pertinent to this field in terms of countries, institutions, authors, journals, references, and keywords were ascertained through scientometric analysis via CiteSpace software.

Results: This study included an extensive assemblage of 12,985 data points, and the findings suggest that ART and its derivatives have garnered considerable interest among scientists. Prolonged international collaboration has fostered progress in this research field. "Antimalarials," "synthesis," "drug resistance," and "Plasmodium vivax" are areas of intense research. Potential areas for future investigations may include "proliferation," "oxidative stress," "pathways," and "mechanisms."

Conclusion: This study offers a comprehensive compendium of the developments and trends in the relevant research field over the past fifty years. Since pharmaceutical drug synthesis can influence both drug efficacy and cost-effectiveness, ongoing efforts to improve drug synthesis are warranted. Although the advent of novel therapeutic approaches has partially mitigated drug resistance, further investigations into the underlying mechanisms are needed. While better treatments for malaria have been developed, the therapeutic potential of ART and its derivatives for numerous additional important diseases is also possible, and future research in this area can lead to dramatic improvements in health.

Keywords: Artemisinin; CiteSpace; Derivatives; Malaria; Scientometric analysis.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Image 1
Graphical abstract
Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flow chart of the search strategy.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Annual trends.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Publication distribution and cooperation of countries.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Publication distribution and cooperation of institutions.
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Network of authors.
Fig. 6
Fig. 6
Overlay map of journals.
Fig. 7
Fig. 7
Network of references.
Fig. 8
Fig. 8
Cluster visualization based on the reference cocitation network.
Fig. 9
Fig. 9
Network of keywords.
Fig. 10
Fig. 10
Cluster visualization based on keywords.
Fig. 11
Fig. 11
Timeline of keywords.
Fig. 12
Fig. 12
The top 25 keywords with the strongest citation bursts.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. WHO . 2023. World Malaria Report 2023.
    1. Klayman D.L. Qinghaosu (artemisinin): an antimalarial drug from China. Science. 1985;228(4703):1049–1055. doi: 10.1126/science.3887571. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Ma N., et al. The birth of artemisinin. Pharmacol. Ther. 2020;216 doi: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2020.107658. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Azmi W.A., et al. Molecular insights into artemisinin resistance in Plasmodium falciparum: an updated review. Infect. Genet. Evol. 2023;112 doi: 10.1016/j.meegid.2023.105460. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Singh A.S., et al. Amino- and hydroxy-functionalized 11-azaartemisinins and their derivatives. Org. Lett. 2008;10(23):5461–5464. doi: 10.1021/ol802238d. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources