Artemisinin (Artemisia annua)
Artemisinin is the bioactive extract of Artemisia annua, the Chinese sweet wormwood plant, first isolated in the 1970s. Since then, the accumulating research has shed light on the potent anti-parasitic and anticancer abilities of artemisinin. The successful licensing and approval of artemisinin as an anti-malaria drug has even earned the discovery scientists a Nobel prize.
Numerous studies in cultured cells and animals have shown that artemisinin can kill and inhibit the growth of various types of cancer, including breast and prostate cancers. Further research informs that artemisinin can disrupt the mitochondria (the cell’s energy factories) and proliferation of cancer cells in a similar manner to parasitic cells. Moreover, artemisinin can react with the high iron levels in cancer cells to create high amounts of reactive oxygen species, resulting in oxidative stress overload and cell death called ferroptosis. Another unique anticancer mechanism of artemisinin is oncosis, a form of cell death by swelling. Artemisinin triggers oncosis by depleting ATP (the cell’s energy currency) through mitochondrial disruption, which disables ion pumps, causing sodium and water to flood the cell, eventually leading to cell swelling and rupture. These multifaceted ways of artemisinin in combatting cancer cells make it even harder for the cancer to evolve ways to resist artemisinin compared to single-mechanism drugs.
Artemisinin appears to leave non-cancerous cells alone, which is consistent with its good safety profile in humans. In recent years, artemisinin has passed three phase I clinical trials intended to evaluate its safety profile and optimal dosage to use in patients with solid tumours and metastatic breast cancers. One of those trials also found that artemisinin’s half-life in the bloodstream is only a few hours, so frequent intake may be needed to overcome this limitation. Nevertheless, with its multifaceted attack on cancer cells and minimal toxicity to healthy tissue, artemisinin represents a compelling example of nature’s untapped potential in modern oncology.
For readers interested in the broader health effects of this plant, we explore them in more detail here.
Cover Image attribution: “Artemisia annua” by Kristian Peters, Modifications: is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
