BACKGROUND The present study was designed to analyze the dynamic changes in transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1), interleukin (IL)-10, and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) in paraquat (PQ)-intoxicated rats and to evaluate the effects of artesunate on PQ-induced lung injury. METHODS Sixty healthy male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly assigned to the control (n = 10), PQ (n = 25)...

The combination of an oral artemisinin derivative (usually artesunate) and mefloquine has become standard treatment for multidrug-resistant falciparum malaria in several parts of Southeast Asia. The doses of artesunate used in monotherapy and combination treatment have largely been derived empirically. In order to characterize the in vivo dose-response relationship for artesunate and thus ratio...

BACKGROUND Treatment and morbidity control of schistosomiasis relies on a single drug, praziquantel. Hence, there is a pressing need to develop additional therapeutics against schistosomiasis. The antimalarial drug mefloquine shows antischistosomal activity in animal models and clinical trials, which calls for further investigations. METHODOLOGY We comparatively assessed the efficacy and tole...

BACKGROUND Severe malaria results in over a million deaths every year, most of them in children aged under five years and living in sub-Saharan Africa. This review examines whether treatment with artesunate, instead of the standard treatment quinine, would result in fewer deaths and better treatment outcomes. OBJECTIVES To compare artesunate with quinine for treating severe malaria. SEARCH ...

OBJECTIVE To investigate the possible effect of artesunate (ART) on schistosome thioredoxin glutathione reductase (TGR) and cytochrome c peroxidase (CcP) in Schistosoma mansoni-infected mice. METHODS A total of 200 laboratory bred male Swiss albino mice were divided into 4 groups (50 mice in each group). Group I: infected untreated group (Control group) received a vehicle of 1% sodium carbony...

BACKGROUND WHO recommends combinations of an artemisinin derivative plus an antimalarial drug of longer half-life as treatment options for uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum infection. In Africa, artemether-lumefantrine is the most widely used artemisinin-based combination therapy, whereas artesunate-mefloquine is used infrequently because of a perceived poor tolerance to mefloquine. WHO recom...

Plasmodium falciparum malaria developed in an African-born traveler who returned to Canada after visiting Nigeria. While there, she took artesunate prophylactically. Isolates had an elevated 50% inhibitory concentration to artemisinin, artesunate, and artemether, compared with that of other African isolates. Inappropriate use of artemisinin derivatives can reduce P. falciparum susceptibility.

Secondary metabolites from plants serve as defense against herbivores, microbes, viruses, or competing plants. Many medicinal plants have pharmacological activities and may, thus, be a source for novel treatment strategies. During the past 10 years, we have systematically analyzed medicinal plants used in traditional Chinese medicine and focused our interest on Artemisia annua L. (qinhao, sweet...

Novel synthetic endoperoxides are being evaluated as new components of artemisinin combination therapies (ACTs) to treat artemisinin-resistant Plasmodium falciparum malaria. We conducted blinded ex vivo activity testing of fully synthetic (OZ78 and OZ277) and semisynthetic (artemisone, artemiside, artesunate, and dihydroartemisinin) endoperoxides in the histidine-rich protein 2 enzyme-linked im...

BACKGROUND The leaves of Stachytarpheta cayennensis C. Rich. (Verbenaceae) have been reported to possess potent anti-inflammatory and anti-malarial activities. Due to close association between inflammatory and immune responses, we evaluated the immunomodulatory activity of leaves extract of S. cayennensis. The combined effects of the leaves extract and artesunate, a standard antimalarial agent ...