title: Artemisinin and its derivatives in treating protozoan infections beyond malaria.
abstract: 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 review the activities of ART and its derivatives against protozoan parasites 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 conclude 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.
authors.affiliation: Bachelor of Medicine & Bachelor of Surgery, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, Guangdong, China.
authors.forename: Cecilia Shi Ni
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Loo
authors.affiliation: Bachelor of Medicine & Bachelor of Surgery, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, Guangdong, China.
authors.forename: Nelson Siu Kei
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Lam
authors.affiliation: Bachelor of Medicine & Bachelor of Surgery, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, Guangdong, China.
authors.forename: Deying
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA; State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology and School of Life Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, Fujian, China.
authors.forename: Xin-Zhuan
authors.initials: XZ
authors.lastname: Su
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, Guangdong, China; Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control (Sun Yat-sen University), Ministry of Education, Guangzhou 510080, Guangdong, China. Electronic address: fanglilu@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Fangli
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000962:Antimalarials / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D037621:Artemisinins / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008288:Malaria / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011528:Protozoan Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D000962:Antimalarials; D037621:Artemisinins
keywords: Antiprotozoan activity; Artemisinin; Leishmania spp; Neospora caninum; Toxoplasma gondii; Trypanosoma spp