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Artemisinin inhibits inducible nitric oxide synthase and nuclear factor NF‐kB activation
Author(s) -
Aldieri Elisabetta,
Atragene Daniela,
Bergandi Loredana,
Riganti Chiara,
Costamagna Costanzo,
Bosia Amalia,
Ghigo Dario
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
febs letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.593
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1873-3468
pISSN - 0014-5793
DOI - 10.1016/s0014-5793(03)00905-0
Subject(s) - artemisinin , parthenolide , nitric oxide , nitric oxide synthase , pharmacology , natural product , sesquiterpene lactone , chemistry , plasmodium falciparum , malaria , biochemistry , biology , sesquiterpene , apoptosis , immunology , stereochemistry , organic chemistry
Artemisinin is a natural product used as an alternative drug in the treatment of severe and multidrug‐resistant malaria. In the present work we show that artemisinin shares with other sesquiterpene lactones the ability to inhibit the activation of the nuclear factor NF‐kB: by this mechanism, artemisinin, as well as parthenolide, inhibits nitric oxide synthesis in cytokine‐stimulated human astrocytoma T67 cells. These results suggest that artemisinin, in addition to its antiparasitic properties, could also exert a therapeutic effect on neurological complications of malaria.