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...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 parasiterelated infections. Recently, this long-considered antimalarial 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.展开更多
Artemisinins tested against W-2 strains of malaria falciparum are investigated with molecular electrostatic potential (MEP), in an attempt to identify key features of the compounds that are necessary for their activit...Artemisinins tested against W-2 strains of malaria falciparum are investigated with molecular electrostatic potential (MEP), in an attempt to identify key features of the compounds that are necessary for their activities, as well as to investigate likely interactions with the receptor in a biological process and to use that information to propose new molecules. In order to discover the best geometry involving the ligand-receptor complexes (heme) studied and help in the proposition of the new derivatives, molecular simulations of interactions between the most negative charged region around the peroxide and heme locates (the ones around the Fe2+ ion) were carried out. In addition, PCA (principal components analysis), HCA (hierarchical cluster analysis), SDA (stepwise discriminant analysis), and KNN (K-nearest neighbor) multivariate models were employed to investigate which descriptors are responsible for the classification between the higher and lower antimalarial activity of the compounds, and also this information was used to propose new potentially active molecules. The information accumulated in studies of MEP, molecular docking, and multivariate analysis supported the proposal of new structures with potential antimalarial activities. The multivariate models constructed were applied to the new structures and indicated numbers 19 and 20 as the most prominent for syntheses and biological assays.展开更多
Artemisinin,also called qinghaosu,is originally derived from the sweet wormwood plant(Artemisia annua),which is used in traditional Chinese medicine.Artemisinin and its derivatives(artemisinins)have been widely used f...Artemisinin,also called qinghaosu,is originally derived from the sweet wormwood plant(Artemisia annua),which is used in traditional Chinese medicine.Artemisinin and its derivatives(artemisinins)have been widely used for many years as anti-malarial agents,with few adverse side effects.Interestingly,evidence has recently shown that artemisinins might have a therapeutic value for several other diseases beyond malaria,including cancers,inflammatory diseases,and autoimmune disorders.Neurodegeneration is a challenging age-associated neurological disorder characterized by deterioration of neuronal structures as well as functions,whereas neuroinflammation has been considered to be an underlying factor in the development of various neurodegenerative disorders,including Alzheimer’s disease.Recently discovered properties of artemisinins suggested that they might be used to treat neurodegenerative disorders by decreasing oxidation,inflammation,and amyloid beta protein(Aβ).In this review,we will introduce artemisinins and highlight the possible mechanisms of their neuroprotective activities,suggesting that artemisinins might have therapeutic potential in neurodegenerative disorders.展开更多
Diabetes is a chronic disease of elevated blood glucose levels that affects more than 400 million people worldwide.Complications of diabetes affect the neuronal and the vascular systems and causes diabetic kidney dise...Diabetes is a chronic disease of elevated blood glucose levels that affects more than 400 million people worldwide.Complications of diabetes affect the neuronal and the vascular systems and causes diabetic kidney disease,cardiovascular disease,hypertension,retinopathy,peripheral neuropathy,and diabetic food diseases.Diabetes is caused by either the body’s inability to展开更多
Significant progress has been recently made in studying artemisinin and its derivatives for treating cardiovascular diseases,making this area a prominent research focus.Artemisinin,discovered with great acclaim,was in...Significant progress has been recently made in studying artemisinin and its derivatives for treating cardiovascular diseases,making this area a prominent research focus.Artemisinin,discovered with great acclaim,was initially and widely adopted in antimalarial treatments.As scientific research steadily progressed,its latent potential role in the cardiovascular system gradually captured the attention of the global scientific community.Artemisinin and its derivatives can reportedly play a protective role in the cardiovascular system through various mechanisms,including anti-inflammatory,anti-angiogenic,antioxidant,and anti-fibrotic effects,as well as the regulation of blood lipids and blood pressure.In particular,they have shown promising therapeutic effects in models of cardiovascular diseases such as atherosclerosis,myocardial ischaemia,and cardiac hypertrophy.In addition,artemisinin and its derivatives can improve cardiovascular function and prevent cardiovascular injury by regulating signalling pathways closely related to cardiovascular disease,such as AMPK and NF-kB.Although numerous ex vivo and in vivo experiments have verified the potential role of artemisinin in treating cardiovascular diseases,systematic studies to comprehensively elucidate its specific mechanism of action remain scarce.Further exploration of the precise roles of artemisinin and its derivatives in cardiovascular disease therapy,along with their potential clinical applications,could offer valuable insights for future research and treatment strategies.展开更多
The therapeutic potential of artemisinin (ART) and its derivatives (ARTs) is not limited to malaria but has been recently expanded to other infections with protozoans, trematodes, or viruses as well as to cancer. Due ...The therapeutic potential of artemisinin (ART) and its derivatives (ARTs) is not limited to malaria but has been recently expanded to other infections with protozoans, trematodes, or viruses as well as to cancer. Due to their limited poor water and oil solubility, rapid degradation by the liver, and short half-life, they have a low bioavailability after oral administration. Consequently, there is a pressing necessity to formulate new ART preparations to raise its bioavailability and efficacy. Nanosized drug delivery systems represent important tools in modern medicine with wide clinical applications, because of their potential modulation of pharmacokinetic and biodistribution. This review focuses on polymer-based systems, lipid-based systems, and inorganic nanoparticles loaded with ARTs. The overall goal of this field of research is to enhance their solubility and stability to improve bioavailability at much lower doses and to increase long-term safety. In addition, the opportunity to reach highly specific site-targeted delivery by these nanocarriers confers a high medicinal value. Remarkably, most of the reported nanoparticulate drug delivery systems are biologically inactive or marginally immunogenic, generating no antigenic or pyrogenic reactions but only partial intrinsic toxicity. As clinical studies in human patients are available so far, there is a pressing need to translate preclinical results on ART-based nanosystems into clinical settings.展开更多
The mental health issues of college students have become an increasingly prominent social problem,exerting severe impacts on their academic performance and overall well-being.Early identification of Interpersonal Sens...The mental health issues of college students have become an increasingly prominent social problem,exerting severe impacts on their academic performance and overall well-being.Early identification of Interpersonal Sensitivity(IS)in students serves as an effective approach to detect psychological problems and provide timely intervention.In this study,958 freshmen from higher education institutions in Zhejiang Province were selected as participants.We proposed a Multi-Strategy Artemisinin Optimization(MSAO)algorithm by enhancing the Artemisinin Optimization(AO)framework through the integration of a group-guided elimination strategy and a two-stage consolidation strategy.Subsequently,the MSAO was combined with the Fuzzy K-Nearest Neighbor(FKNN)classifier to develop the bMSAO-FKNN predictive model for assessing college students’IS.The proposed algorithm’s efficacy was validated through the CEC 2017 benchmark test suite,while the model’s performance was evaluated on the IS dataset,achieving an accuracy rate of 97.81%.These findings demonstrate that the bMSAO-FKNN model not only ensures high predictive accuracy but also offers interpretability for IS prediction,making it a valuable tool for mental health monitoring in academic settings.展开更多
In the context of globalization,traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)has transcended geographical boundaries to provide the world with Chinese philosophical principles and therapeutic methodologies,which have been welcome...In the context of globalization,traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)has transcended geographical boundaries to provide the world with Chinese philosophical principles and therapeutic methodologies,which have been welcomed by the people of the world.Similarly,Uganda’s indigenous medical traditions embody profound ethnomedical knowledge,creating a robust foundation for cross-cultural exchanges in phytotherapy between the two nations.The introduction of TCM to Uganda started in the 1980s,facilitated by successive Chinese medical teams dispatched under the framework of Sino-African health cooperation,and has engendered a gradual yet sustained trajectory of acceptance and integration within local healthcare systems.Empirical evidence indicates that TCM’s therapeutic efficacy,cultural adaptability,and cost-effectiveness have progressively contributed to its growing institutional recognition and community-level adoption across Uganda’s diverse demographic groups since its initial dissemination.Therapeutic approaches such as acupuncture and massage,along with the remarkable efficacy of artemisinin in combating malaria,offer local populations more options for disease prevention and health maintenance.This paper examines the historical development and current practices of TCM in Uganda,aiming to provide insights and recommendations for addressing challenges related to infectious disease control,chronic disease management,and health resource accessibility in Africa and other underdeveloped regions.Furthermore,it proposes cross-cultural implementation strategies for integrating traditional medicine into the global health governance framework,thereby contributing to the construction of a global community of health.展开更多
The artemisinin accumulation in the hairy root cultures of Artemisia annua L. was enhanced via a treatment of three fungal elicitors separately ( Verticillium dahliae Kleb., Rhizopus stolonifer (Ehrenb. ex ...The artemisinin accumulation in the hairy root cultures of Artemisia annua L. was enhanced via a treatment of three fungal elicitors separately ( Verticillium dahliae Kleb., Rhizopus stolonifer (Ehrenb. ex Fr.) Vuill and Colletotrichum dematium (Pers.) Grove). Among these three elicitors, V. dahliae had the highest inducing efficiency, but none of them manifests any noticeable effects on the cell growth of the hairy root cultures. The artemisinin content of the hairy root cultures treated with V. dahliae elicitor was 1.12 mg/g DW, which was 45% higher than the control (0.77 mg/g DW). The results showed that elicitation was dependent on the elicitor concentration, the incubation period and the physiological stage at which the hairy root cultures were treated. In addition, the authors found that for V. dahliae , the optimum concentration was 0.4 mg carbohydrate per millilitre medium, the strongest response of A. annua hairy root cultures to the elicitation was at the late exponential growth stage, and the highest artemisinin content of the hairy root cultures was on the 4th day post treatment.展开更多
The oligosaccharide elicitor from the mycelial wall of an endophytic Colletotrichum sp. B501 promoted the production of artemisinin in Artemisia annua L. hairy root culture. When hairy roots of 22-day-old cultures (la...The oligosaccharide elicitor from the mycelial wall of an endophytic Colletotrichum sp. B501 promoted the production of artemisinin in Artemisia annua L. hairy root culture. When hairy roots of 22-day-old cultures (later growth phase) were exposed to the elicitor (20 mg/L) for 4 d, the maximum content of artemisinin reached 1.15 mg/g, a 64.29% increment over the control. The electron X-ray microanalysis disclosed the rapid accumulation of Ca 2+ in the elicited cortical cells of hairy root. The electronic microscope observation revealed the high electron density area in vacuole of elicited cells. During the first day of elicitation the peroxidase activity of hairy roots was improved sharply. Some cellular morphological changes including cell shrinkage, condensation of cytoplasm and nuclear fragmentation, coincident with the appearance of DNA ladders, were observed after the third day of elicitation. It was suggested that the oligosaccharide elicitor triggered the programmed cell death, which may provide the substance or chemical signal for artemisinin biosynthesis.展开更多
Using highly synchronous cultures of Plasmodium falciparum in vitro,the susceptibi- lity of the different stages of the intraerythrocytic parasites to Qinghaosu (QHS) was assessed.The anti- parasitic effect of QHS was...Using highly synchronous cultures of Plasmodium falciparum in vitro,the susceptibi- lity of the different stages of the intraerythrocytic parasites to Qinghaosu (QHS) was assessed.The anti- parasitic effect of QHS was measured by comparing the changes of irradiation of^3 H-hypoxanthine in- corporated into the nucleic acids of parasites exposed to various concentrations of QHS at different stages of growth.It was found that the trophozoite stage of the parasite was the most sensitive to QHS, whereas the early ring stage was the least sensitive,and the sensitivities of the late ring and schizont stages fell between those of the early ring and trophozoite stages.The results revealed the correlation of stage-dependent effects of QHS with the blockade of the protein metabolism of the parasite.展开更多
Artemisinin(ART)resistance has been an emerging clinical problem,severely compromising antimalarial efficacy and threatening the global malaria elimination campaign.Albeit intensive studies about the molecular mechani...Artemisinin(ART)resistance has been an emerging clinical problem,severely compromising antimalarial efficacy and threatening the global malaria elimination campaign.Albeit intensive studies about the molecular mechanism for ART resistance are under way,no effective therapeutic targets for reversing resistance have been applied.Here,we explore glutathione(GSH)as a therapeutic target to develop a thermo-responsive nanoplatform to specifically co-deliver ART and GSH synthesis inhibitor(L-buthionine sulfoximine,BSO)in a sustained manner,effectively reversing ART resistance in vivo.By combining with BSO,ART exerts increased antimalarial activity with reduced half-maximal inhibitory concentration(IC50)by 7.43-fold in ART-resistant strains.This work reveals that the GSH in ART-resistant parasites can be a promising therapeutic target for reversing ART resistance,paving the way for developing drug candidates and intelligent nanomedicines in malaria therapy.展开更多
The biotransformation of artemisinin by hairy root cultures ofRheum palmatum L. was investigated for the first time. The main product, deoxyartemisinin, was isolated and characterized on the basis of its spectral data.
Artemisinin（ART） is a widely used active drug for malaria, including severe and cerebral malaria. However, its therapeutic efficacy is affected by its lower bioavailability. In the present study, nanostructured lipi...Artemisinin（ART） is a widely used active drug for malaria, including severe and cerebral malaria. However, its therapeutic efficacy is affected by its lower bioavailability. In the present study, nanostructured lipid carriers（NLCs） were proposed as carrier of ART to improve pharmacokinetic properties of the drug. ART-NLC was prepared by high-pressure homogenization based on orthogonal design. The particle size, zeta potential, encapsulation efficiency（EE） and percentage of drug loading（DL） of ART-NLC were（53.06±2.11） nm,（–28.7±3.59） m V, 73.9%±0.5% and 11.23%±0.37%, respectively. ART-NLC showed the sustained release characteristics and scarcely the hemolysis effect on human red blood cells. The pharmacokinetics of ART-NLC for rats after tail intravenous injection（i.v） or intraperitoneal injection（i.p） were investigated by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectroscopy（LC-MS/MS）. And ART solution was designed as control preparation. For rats of i.v groups, the AUC0–∞（（707.45±145.65） ng·h/m L） of ART-NLC were significantly bigger than that of ART（（368.98±139.58） ng·h/m L）. The MRT（（3.38±0.46） h） of ART-NLC was longer than that of ART（（1.39±0.61） h）. And similar results were observed for rats of i.p groups. The AUC0–∞（（1233.06±235.57） ng·h/m L） and MRT（（4.97±0.69） h） of ART-NLC were both bigger than those of ART, which were（871.17±234.03） ng·h/m L） and（1.75±0.31） h）, respectively. Compared with ART, ART-NLC showed a significant increase in AUC0–∞（P〈0.05） and MRT（P〈0.001） for both i.p and tail i.v administrations.展开更多
[Objective] The aim was to make a summary on research progresses on extraction and detection techniques of artemisinin. [Method] In the research, the concerning progress was made based on physicochemical property, sou...[Objective] The aim was to make a summary on research progresses on extraction and detection techniques of artemisinin. [Method] In the research, the concerning progress was made based on physicochemical property, source, extraction methods and detection technology of artemisinin. [Result] Artemisinin is colorless acicular crystal and easier to be dissolved in organic solvent. The extraction methods of artemisinin include organic solvent extraction, ultrasonic extraction, microwave extraction and supercritical fluid extraction; the detection technologies include ultraviolet spectrophotometry, high performance liquid chromatography and HPLC-evaporative light-scattering. [Conclusion] The research laid foundation for further exploration and global market.展开更多
Artemisinin and its derivatives represent the most important and influential class of drugs in the fight against malaria. Since the discovery of artemisinin in the early 1970s, the global community has made great stri...Artemisinin and its derivatives represent the most important and influential class of drugs in the fight against malaria. Since the discovery of artemisinin in the early 1970s, the global community has made great strides in characterizing and understanding this remarkable phytochemical and its unique chemical and pharmacological properties. Today, even as artemisinin continues to serve as the foundation for antimalarial therapy, numerous challenges have surfaced in the continued application and development of this family of drugs. These challenges include the emergence of delayed treatment responses to artemisinins in malaria and efforts to apply artemisinins for non-malarial indications. Here, we provide an overview of the story of artemisinin in terms of its past, present, and future. In particular, we comment on the current understanding of the mechanism of action (MOA) of artemisinins, and emphasize the importance of relating mechanistic studies to therapeutic outcomes, both in malarial and non-malarial contexts.展开更多
文摘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 parasiterelated infections. Recently, this long-considered antimalarial 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.
文摘Artemisinins tested against W-2 strains of malaria falciparum are investigated with molecular electrostatic potential (MEP), in an attempt to identify key features of the compounds that are necessary for their activities, as well as to investigate likely interactions with the receptor in a biological process and to use that information to propose new molecules. In order to discover the best geometry involving the ligand-receptor complexes (heme) studied and help in the proposition of the new derivatives, molecular simulations of interactions between the most negative charged region around the peroxide and heme locates (the ones around the Fe2+ ion) were carried out. In addition, PCA (principal components analysis), HCA (hierarchical cluster analysis), SDA (stepwise discriminant analysis), and KNN (K-nearest neighbor) multivariate models were employed to investigate which descriptors are responsible for the classification between the higher and lower antimalarial activity of the compounds, and also this information was used to propose new potentially active molecules. The information accumulated in studies of MEP, molecular docking, and multivariate analysis supported the proposal of new structures with potential antimalarial activities. The multivariate models constructed were applied to the new structures and indicated numbers 19 and 20 as the most prominent for syntheses and biological assays.
基金supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Beijing of China,No.7192235(to LKX)
文摘Artemisinin,also called qinghaosu,is originally derived from the sweet wormwood plant(Artemisia annua),which is used in traditional Chinese medicine.Artemisinin and its derivatives(artemisinins)have been widely used for many years as anti-malarial agents,with few adverse side effects.Interestingly,evidence has recently shown that artemisinins might have a therapeutic value for several other diseases beyond malaria,including cancers,inflammatory diseases,and autoimmune disorders.Neurodegeneration is a challenging age-associated neurological disorder characterized by deterioration of neuronal structures as well as functions,whereas neuroinflammation has been considered to be an underlying factor in the development of various neurodegenerative disorders,including Alzheimer’s disease.Recently discovered properties of artemisinins suggested that they might be used to treat neurodegenerative disorders by decreasing oxidation,inflammation,and amyloid beta protein(Aβ).In this review,we will introduce artemisinins and highlight the possible mechanisms of their neuroprotective activities,suggesting that artemisinins might have therapeutic potential in neurodegenerative disorders.
文摘Diabetes is a chronic disease of elevated blood glucose levels that affects more than 400 million people worldwide.Complications of diabetes affect the neuronal and the vascular systems and causes diabetic kidney disease,cardiovascular disease,hypertension,retinopathy,peripheral neuropathy,and diabetic food diseases.Diabetes is caused by either the body’s inability to
基金supported by the Youth Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province(grant number:ZR2022QH340).
文摘Significant progress has been recently made in studying artemisinin and its derivatives for treating cardiovascular diseases,making this area a prominent research focus.Artemisinin,discovered with great acclaim,was initially and widely adopted in antimalarial treatments.As scientific research steadily progressed,its latent potential role in the cardiovascular system gradually captured the attention of the global scientific community.Artemisinin and its derivatives can reportedly play a protective role in the cardiovascular system through various mechanisms,including anti-inflammatory,anti-angiogenic,antioxidant,and anti-fibrotic effects,as well as the regulation of blood lipids and blood pressure.In particular,they have shown promising therapeutic effects in models of cardiovascular diseases such as atherosclerosis,myocardial ischaemia,and cardiac hypertrophy.In addition,artemisinin and its derivatives can improve cardiovascular function and prevent cardiovascular injury by regulating signalling pathways closely related to cardiovascular disease,such as AMPK and NF-kB.Although numerous ex vivo and in vivo experiments have verified the potential role of artemisinin in treating cardiovascular diseases,systematic studies to comprehensively elucidate its specific mechanism of action remain scarce.Further exploration of the precise roles of artemisinin and its derivatives in cardiovascular disease therapy,along with their potential clinical applications,could offer valuable insights for future research and treatment strategies.
文摘The therapeutic potential of artemisinin (ART) and its derivatives (ARTs) is not limited to malaria but has been recently expanded to other infections with protozoans, trematodes, or viruses as well as to cancer. Due to their limited poor water and oil solubility, rapid degradation by the liver, and short half-life, they have a low bioavailability after oral administration. Consequently, there is a pressing necessity to formulate new ART preparations to raise its bioavailability and efficacy. Nanosized drug delivery systems represent important tools in modern medicine with wide clinical applications, because of their potential modulation of pharmacokinetic and biodistribution. This review focuses on polymer-based systems, lipid-based systems, and inorganic nanoparticles loaded with ARTs. The overall goal of this field of research is to enhance their solubility and stability to improve bioavailability at much lower doses and to increase long-term safety. In addition, the opportunity to reach highly specific site-targeted delivery by these nanocarriers confers a high medicinal value. Remarkably, most of the reported nanoparticulate drug delivery systems are biologically inactive or marginally immunogenic, generating no antigenic or pyrogenic reactions but only partial intrinsic toxicity. As clinical studies in human patients are available so far, there is a pressing need to translate preclinical results on ART-based nanosystems into clinical settings.
文摘The mental health issues of college students have become an increasingly prominent social problem,exerting severe impacts on their academic performance and overall well-being.Early identification of Interpersonal Sensitivity(IS)in students serves as an effective approach to detect psychological problems and provide timely intervention.In this study,958 freshmen from higher education institutions in Zhejiang Province were selected as participants.We proposed a Multi-Strategy Artemisinin Optimization(MSAO)algorithm by enhancing the Artemisinin Optimization(AO)framework through the integration of a group-guided elimination strategy and a two-stage consolidation strategy.Subsequently,the MSAO was combined with the Fuzzy K-Nearest Neighbor(FKNN)classifier to develop the bMSAO-FKNN predictive model for assessing college students’IS.The proposed algorithm’s efficacy was validated through the CEC 2017 benchmark test suite,while the model’s performance was evaluated on the IS dataset,achieving an accuracy rate of 97.81%.These findings demonstrate that the bMSAO-FKNN model not only ensures high predictive accuracy but also offers interpretability for IS prediction,making it a valuable tool for mental health monitoring in academic settings.
基金financed by the grants from Zhejiang Province’s“14th Five-Year Plan”for Higher Education(No.JGBA2024776)Research Project of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University’s Provincial Key Cultivation Base for Philosophy and Social Sciences in 2024(No.2024JDYB07)the second batch of approved projects of the Zhejiang Cultural Research Project(No.23WH27ZD).
文摘In the context of globalization,traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)has transcended geographical boundaries to provide the world with Chinese philosophical principles and therapeutic methodologies,which have been welcomed by the people of the world.Similarly,Uganda’s indigenous medical traditions embody profound ethnomedical knowledge,creating a robust foundation for cross-cultural exchanges in phytotherapy between the two nations.The introduction of TCM to Uganda started in the 1980s,facilitated by successive Chinese medical teams dispatched under the framework of Sino-African health cooperation,and has engendered a gradual yet sustained trajectory of acceptance and integration within local healthcare systems.Empirical evidence indicates that TCM’s therapeutic efficacy,cultural adaptability,and cost-effectiveness have progressively contributed to its growing institutional recognition and community-level adoption across Uganda’s diverse demographic groups since its initial dissemination.Therapeutic approaches such as acupuncture and massage,along with the remarkable efficacy of artemisinin in combating malaria,offer local populations more options for disease prevention and health maintenance.This paper examines the historical development and current practices of TCM in Uganda,aiming to provide insights and recommendations for addressing challenges related to infectious disease control,chronic disease management,and health resource accessibility in Africa and other underdeveloped regions.Furthermore,it proposes cross-cultural implementation strategies for integrating traditional medicine into the global health governance framework,thereby contributing to the construction of a global community of health.
文摘The artemisinin accumulation in the hairy root cultures of Artemisia annua L. was enhanced via a treatment of three fungal elicitors separately ( Verticillium dahliae Kleb., Rhizopus stolonifer (Ehrenb. ex Fr.) Vuill and Colletotrichum dematium (Pers.) Grove). Among these three elicitors, V. dahliae had the highest inducing efficiency, but none of them manifests any noticeable effects on the cell growth of the hairy root cultures. The artemisinin content of the hairy root cultures treated with V. dahliae elicitor was 1.12 mg/g DW, which was 45% higher than the control (0.77 mg/g DW). The results showed that elicitation was dependent on the elicitor concentration, the incubation period and the physiological stage at which the hairy root cultures were treated. In addition, the authors found that for V. dahliae , the optimum concentration was 0.4 mg carbohydrate per millilitre medium, the strongest response of A. annua hairy root cultures to the elicitation was at the late exponential growth stage, and the highest artemisinin content of the hairy root cultures was on the 4th day post treatment.
文摘The oligosaccharide elicitor from the mycelial wall of an endophytic Colletotrichum sp. B501 promoted the production of artemisinin in Artemisia annua L. hairy root culture. When hairy roots of 22-day-old cultures (later growth phase) were exposed to the elicitor (20 mg/L) for 4 d, the maximum content of artemisinin reached 1.15 mg/g, a 64.29% increment over the control. The electron X-ray microanalysis disclosed the rapid accumulation of Ca 2+ in the elicited cortical cells of hairy root. The electronic microscope observation revealed the high electron density area in vacuole of elicited cells. During the first day of elicitation the peroxidase activity of hairy roots was improved sharply. Some cellular morphological changes including cell shrinkage, condensation of cytoplasm and nuclear fragmentation, coincident with the appearance of DNA ladders, were observed after the third day of elicitation. It was suggested that the oligosaccharide elicitor triggered the programmed cell death, which may provide the substance or chemical signal for artemisinin biosynthesis.
文摘Using highly synchronous cultures of Plasmodium falciparum in vitro,the susceptibi- lity of the different stages of the intraerythrocytic parasites to Qinghaosu (QHS) was assessed.The anti- parasitic effect of QHS was measured by comparing the changes of irradiation of^3 H-hypoxanthine in- corporated into the nucleic acids of parasites exposed to various concentrations of QHS at different stages of growth.It was found that the trophozoite stage of the parasite was the most sensitive to QHS, whereas the early ring stage was the least sensitive,and the sensitivities of the late ring and schizont stages fell between those of the early ring and trophozoite stages.The results revealed the correlation of stage-dependent effects of QHS with the blockade of the protein metabolism of the parasite.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.81803470 and 82173767)。
文摘Artemisinin(ART)resistance has been an emerging clinical problem,severely compromising antimalarial efficacy and threatening the global malaria elimination campaign.Albeit intensive studies about the molecular mechanism for ART resistance are under way,no effective therapeutic targets for reversing resistance have been applied.Here,we explore glutathione(GSH)as a therapeutic target to develop a thermo-responsive nanoplatform to specifically co-deliver ART and GSH synthesis inhibitor(L-buthionine sulfoximine,BSO)in a sustained manner,effectively reversing ART resistance in vivo.By combining with BSO,ART exerts increased antimalarial activity with reduced half-maximal inhibitory concentration(IC50)by 7.43-fold in ART-resistant strains.This work reveals that the GSH in ART-resistant parasites can be a promising therapeutic target for reversing ART resistance,paving the way for developing drug candidates and intelligent nanomedicines in malaria therapy.
文摘The biotransformation of artemisinin by hairy root cultures ofRheum palmatum L. was investigated for the first time. The main product, deoxyartemisinin, was isolated and characterized on the basis of its spectral data.
基金National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.81373364)The Subject clots Project Serving Pharmaceutical Industrial Innovation of Shanxi Province
文摘Artemisinin（ART） is a widely used active drug for malaria, including severe and cerebral malaria. However, its therapeutic efficacy is affected by its lower bioavailability. In the present study, nanostructured lipid carriers（NLCs） were proposed as carrier of ART to improve pharmacokinetic properties of the drug. ART-NLC was prepared by high-pressure homogenization based on orthogonal design. The particle size, zeta potential, encapsulation efficiency（EE） and percentage of drug loading（DL） of ART-NLC were（53.06±2.11） nm,（–28.7±3.59） m V, 73.9%±0.5% and 11.23%±0.37%, respectively. ART-NLC showed the sustained release characteristics and scarcely the hemolysis effect on human red blood cells. The pharmacokinetics of ART-NLC for rats after tail intravenous injection（i.v） or intraperitoneal injection（i.p） were investigated by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectroscopy（LC-MS/MS）. And ART solution was designed as control preparation. For rats of i.v groups, the AUC0–∞（（707.45±145.65） ng·h/m L） of ART-NLC were significantly bigger than that of ART（（368.98±139.58） ng·h/m L）. The MRT（（3.38±0.46） h） of ART-NLC was longer than that of ART（（1.39±0.61） h）. And similar results were observed for rats of i.p groups. The AUC0–∞（（1233.06±235.57） ng·h/m L） and MRT（（4.97±0.69） h） of ART-NLC were both bigger than those of ART, which were（871.17±234.03） ng·h/m L） and（1.75±0.31） h）, respectively. Compared with ART, ART-NLC showed a significant increase in AUC0–∞（P〈0.05） and MRT（P〈0.001） for both i.p and tail i.v administrations.
基金Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China~~
文摘[Objective] The aim was to make a summary on research progresses on extraction and detection techniques of artemisinin. [Method] In the research, the concerning progress was made based on physicochemical property, source, extraction methods and detection technology of artemisinin. [Result] Artemisinin is colorless acicular crystal and easier to be dissolved in organic solvent. The extraction methods of artemisinin include organic solvent extraction, ultrasonic extraction, microwave extraction and supercritical fluid extraction; the detection technologies include ultraviolet spectrophotometry, high performance liquid chromatography and HPLC-evaporative light-scattering. [Conclusion] The research laid foundation for further exploration and global market.
基金the projects of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81641002 and 81473548)Major National Science and Technology Program of China for Innovative Drug (2017ZX09101002-001-001-05 and 36 J. Wang et al./ Engineering 5 (2019) 32–39 2017ZX09101002-001-001-3)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Public Welfare Research Institutes (ZZ10-024 and ZXKT18003).
文摘Artemisinin and its derivatives represent the most important and influential class of drugs in the fight against malaria. Since the discovery of artemisinin in the early 1970s, the global community has made great strides in characterizing and understanding this remarkable phytochemical and its unique chemical and pharmacological properties. Today, even as artemisinin continues to serve as the foundation for antimalarial therapy, numerous challenges have surfaced in the continued application and development of this family of drugs. These challenges include the emergence of delayed treatment responses to artemisinins in malaria and efforts to apply artemisinins for non-malarial indications. Here, we provide an overview of the story of artemisinin in terms of its past, present, and future. In particular, we comment on the current understanding of the mechanism of action (MOA) of artemisinins, and emphasize the importance of relating mechanistic studies to therapeutic outcomes, both in malarial and non-malarial contexts.
