The anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive activity of artemisinin derivatives
Jianping Zuo · 2007
Artemisinin and its derivatives exhibit potent anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive activity.In clinical investigations,they were used for the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus(SLE),dermatitis and rheumatic arthritis(RA) with promising results.In laboratory studies,they showed anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive effect on various animal disease models.Recently,a series of new artemisinin derivatives have been synthesized to develop potent immunosuppressive agents.However,the underlying mechanisms mediating their anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive effects are still unknown.Here,we introduce the anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive effect of artemisinin and its derivatives,and discuss their possible mechanisms based on the recent studies in literature.