Artemisinin

From WikiMD's medical encyclopedia

Information about Artemisinin

Artemisinin_lactone

Artemisinin is an ancient Chinese herbal therapy for malarial fevers which has been recently found to have potent activity against many forms of malarial organisms, including chloroquine-resistant Plasmodium falciparum. Several artemisinin derivatives have been developed for clinical use in prevention and treatment of malaria, some of which have been linked to rare instances of acute liver injury.


Mechanism of action of Artemisinin

The artemisinins (ar tem' is in in), including artesumate, arteeter, artemether, artemisinin, and dihydroartemisinin, are derivatives of the Chinese herb known as "qing hao" or sweet wormwood plant (Artemisia annua). The artemisinins have antimalarial activity in vitro and in vivo and are believed to act by release of free radicals into the parasite vacuoles. Artemisinin derivatives are currently the most active antimalarial drugs available and have been introduced around the world as an integral part of therapy of active malaria, always in combination with other antimalarials to prevent resistance such as amodiaquine, lumefantrine and mefloquine. Several oral and parenteral formulations of artemisinin derivatives are available worldwide. In the United States, the combination of artemether (20 mg) and lumefantrine (120 mg) was approved for therapy of P. falciparum malaria in 2009 under the brand name Coartem. The recommended dose for adults is 4 tablets twice daily for 3 days (6 doses). Artesunate (Adamsunate) is also available on a named-patient basis from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Malaria Hotline (770-488-7788, M-F, 8 am to 4:30 pm, Eastern time). General recommendations on use of artemisinin and other antimalarial agents are available at the CDC website: http://www.cdc.gov/malaria/.

Side effects of Artemisinin

Common side effects of artesunate include nausea, vomiting, anorexia, and dizziness. Potentially severe adverse events include prolongation of the QTc interval and cardiac arrhythmias.

WHO Rod.svg
This article is a medical stub. You can help WikiMD by expanding it!
PubMed
Wikipedia

The following links are to individual drug records.

WHO Rod.svg
This article is a medical stub. You can help WikiMD by expanding it!
PubMed
Wikipedia


Stub icon
   This article is a medical stub. You can help WikiMD by expanding it!
Navigation: Wellness - Encyclopedia - Health topics - Disease Index‏‎ - Drugs - World Directory - Gray's Anatomy - Keto diet - Recipes

Transform your life with W8MD's budget GLP-1 injections from $125.

W8mdlogo.png
W8MD weight loss doctors team

W8MD offers a medical weight loss program to lose weight in Philadelphia. Our physician-supervised medical weight loss provides:

NYC weight loss doctor appointments

Start your NYC weight loss journey today at our NYC medical weight loss and Philadelphia medical weight loss clinics.

Linkedin_Shiny_Icon Facebook_Shiny_Icon YouTube_icon_(2011-2013) Google plus


Advertise on WikiMD

WikiMD's Wellness Encyclopedia

Let Food Be Thy Medicine
Medicine Thy Food - Hippocrates

Medical Disclaimer: WikiMD is not a substitute for professional medical advice. The information on WikiMD is provided as an information resource only, may be incorrect, outdated or misleading, and is not to be used or relied on for any diagnostic or treatment purposes. Please consult your health care provider before making any healthcare decisions or for guidance about a specific medical condition. WikiMD expressly disclaims responsibility, and shall have no liability, for any damages, loss, injury, or liability whatsoever suffered as a result of your reliance on the information contained in this site. By visiting this site you agree to the foregoing terms and conditions, which may from time to time be changed or supplemented by WikiMD. If you do not agree to the foregoing terms and conditions, you should not enter or use this site. See full disclaimer.
Credits:Most images are courtesy of Wikimedia commons, and templates, categories Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY SA or similar.

Contributors: Prab R. Tumpati, MD