Artemisinin and its derivatives in treating protozoan infections beyond malaria

Abstract

Many parasitic protozoan diseases continue to rank among the world’s greatest global health problems, which are also common among poor populations. Currently available drugs for treatment present drawbacks, urging the need for more effective, safer, and cheaper drugs. Artemisinin (ART) and its derivatives are some of the most important classes of antimalarial agents originally derived from Artemisia annua L. However, besides the outstanding antimalarial and antischistosomal activities, ART and its derivatives also possess activities against other parasitic protozoa. In this paper, we reviewed the activities of ART and its derivatives against protozoan parasites in in vitro and in vivo, including Leishmania spp., Trypanosoma spp., Toxoplasma gondii, Neospora caninum, Eimeria tenella, Acanthamoeba castellanii, Naegleria fowleri, Cryptosporidium parvum, Giardia lamblia, and Babesia spp. We concluded that ART and its derivatives may be good alternatives for treating other non-malarial protozoan infections in developing countries, although more studies are necessary before they can be applied clinically.

Investigating the Antiparasitic Potential of the Marine Sesquiterpene Avarone, Its Reduced Form Avarol, and the Novel Semisynthetic Thiazinoquinone Analogue Thiazoavarone

“…In order to cope with all the reported drawbacks and to limit the costs of the development of brand-new pharmaceutical strategies, several effective antimalarial drugs should be considered for the treatment of other underfunded parasitic diseases. For example, artemisinin and its derivatives, a potent class of antimalarial agents, have been proved to be beneficial for other infectious diseases such as schistosomiasis and leishmaniasis [6]. Furthermore, histone deacetylases (HDAC) inhibitors have been shown to have activity both against some Plasmodium species as well as Leishmania and Schistosoma parasites [7].…”

Activity of Green Algae Extracts against Toxoplasma gondii

“…Additionally, artemisic acid has been documented to have potent activity against a broad range of protozoan parasites including Plasmodium, Leishmania, Trypanosoma, Toxoplasma, Neospora, Eimeria, Acanthamoeba, Naegleria, Cryptosporidium, Giardia and Babesia [9]. Therefore, the anti-Toxoplasma activities of the methanol Chlorophyceae extracts can be attributed to the high content of flavonoids, alkaloids and artemisic acid.…”

Antimalarial Agents as Therapeutic Tools Against Toxoplasmosis—A Short Bridge between Two Distant Illnesses

“…Malaria-related research has enabled a better understanding of various aspects attributed to the disease, namely those associated with transmission, infection, and progression inside the human host, including related symptoms and molecular mechanisms, leading to the development of prophylactic measures as well as of structure-based and target-based antimalarial drugs [7]. On the contrary, investments in research related to leishmaniases and toxoplasmosis are far from those accorded to malaria, and most drugs used against these diseases were developed to treat other vector-borne pathologies, including malaria [8]. Toxoplasmosis is a neglected disease, with an urgent need for action since one third of the population is chronically infected with Toxoplasma gondii [9].…”