Potential applications of artemisinins in ocular diseases

Artemisinin, also named qinghaosu , is a family of sesquiterpene trioxane lactone originally derived from the sweet wormwood plant ( Artemisia annua ), which is a traditional Chinese herb that has been universally used as anti-malarial agents for many years. Evidence has accumulated during the past...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of ophthalmology 2019-11, Vol.12 (11), p.1793-1800
Main Author: Lu, Bing-Wen
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
artemisinins
ocular neovascularization
retinal neurodegenerative diseases
retinoblastoma
Review
uveitis
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Summary:Artemisinin, also named qinghaosu , is a family of sesquiterpene trioxane lactone originally derived from the sweet wormwood plant ( Artemisia annua ), which is a traditional Chinese herb that has been universally used as anti-malarial agents for many years. Evidence has accumulated during the past few years which demonstrated the protective effects of artemisinin and its derivatives (artemisinins) in several other diseases beyond malaria, including cancers, autoimmune disorders, inflammatory diseases, viral and other parasite-related infections. Recently, this long-considered anti-malarial agent has been proved to possess anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic and anti-excitotoxic properties, which make it a potential treatment option for the ocular environment. In this review, we first described the overview of artemisinins, highlighting the activity of artemisinins to other diseases beyond malaria and the mechanisms of these actions. We then emphasized the main points of published results of using artemisinins in targeting ocular disorders, including uveitis, retinoblastoma, retinal neurodegenerative diseases and ocular neovascularization. To conclude, we believe that artemisinins could also be used as a promising therapeutic drug for ocular diseases, especially retinal vascular diseases in the near future.
ISSN:2222-3959
2227-4898
DOI:10.18240/ijo.2019.11.20