title: Immune suppressive properties of artemisinin family drugs.
abstract: Artemisinin and its derivatives are the first-line antimalarial drugs, and have saved millions of lives across the globe, especially in developing world. The discovery of artemisinin by Youyou Tu was awarded the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. In addition to treating malaria, accumulating evidences suggest that artemisinin and its derivatives also possess potent anti-inflammatory and immunoregulatory properties. We recently showed that artesunate, an artemisinin analog, dramatically ameliorated autoimmune arthritis by selectively diminishing germinal center B cells. Herein, we review the immunosuppressive properties of artemisinin family drugs and the potential underlying mechanisms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Section of Rheumatology, and Knapp Center for Lupus and Immunology Research, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States.
authors.forename: Lifei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hou
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Section of Rheumatology, and Knapp Center for Lupus and Immunology Research, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States. Electronic address: hhuang@bsd.uchicago.edu.
authors.forename: Haochu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Huang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D037621:Artemisinins / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy*; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018836:Inflammation Mediators / Q000378:metabolism; D008264:Macrophages / Q000187:drug effects; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D037621:Artemisinins; D016207:Cytokines; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D018836:Inflammation Mediators
keywords: Artemisinin; Autoimmune diseases; Germinal center B cells; Immune regulation; Inflammation; T cells