Novel use for old drugs: The emerging role of artemisinin and its derivatives in fibrosis

[Display omitted] Artemisinin and its derivatives are a family of anti-malarial drugs with known clinical safety and efficacy. Apart from its anti-malarial effect, artemisinin has also been reported to show anti-cancer, anti-viral, anti-parasitosis, anti-inflammatory properties in vitro and in vivo....

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Published in:Pharmacological research 2020-07, Vol.157, p.104829-104829, Article 104829
Main Authors: Wang, Youke, Wang, Yuting, You, Fengming, Xue, Jianxin
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Artemisinin
Autophagy
Fibrosis
Senescence
TGF-β
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Summary:[Display omitted] Artemisinin and its derivatives are a family of anti-malarial drugs with known clinical safety and efficacy. Apart from its anti-malarial effect, artemisinin has also been reported to show anti-cancer, anti-viral, anti-parasitosis, anti-inflammatory properties in vitro and in vivo. An increasing number of studies report that artemisinin can impact the fibrotic process through various ways, such as TGF-β, MAPK, Wnt/β-catenin, PI3K/AKT/mTRO, FRX and Notch signaling pathways, as well as regulation of BMP-7 and cell autophagy. Moreover, the anti-inflammatory properties of artemisinin also contribute to the anti-fibrotic process. The present review summarizes the related studies on artemisinin treatment in fibrosis and elucidates the underlying mechanisms. We believe that this review can explain the potential anti-fibrotic value of artemisinin, outlining its potential use in the development of a safe and effective therapeutic method to alleviate fibrosis in the future.
ISSN:1043-6618
1096-1186
DOI:10.1016/j.phrs.2020.104829