Administration of artesunate ameliorates colitis
Artesunate (ART) is a semi-synthetic drug derived from the traditional Chinese medicine artemisinin, it has well-characterized antimalarial action. Here, we found that ART treatment significantly inhibiting the symptoms of DSS-induced colitis. ART treatment significantly reduces the proportions of inflammatory neutrophils, monocytes and Th17 cells in the colon. ART treatment inhibits pro-inflammatory genes Tnf, Il6, Il1b and promotes anti-inflammatory genes Tgfb, Il10 expression in the colon. Meanwhile, ART treatment restores the tight junction proteins ZO1 and Claudin1 in the colon. In addition, ART treatment can inhibit the differentiation of IL-17+ cells. Furthermore, ART treatment also prevents DSS-induced colitis. These findings highlight the significant role of ART in the prevention and treatment of colitis, suggesting ART as a therapeutic target for mucosal inflammatory diseases.