Artemisinin (
qinghaosu), extracted from the Chinese herb Artemisia annua L. in 1972, and its three major derivatives--
artemether,
artesunate and
dihydroartemisinin--were firstly identified as
antimalarials and found active against all species of the
malaria parasite. Since the early 1980s,
artemisinin and its derivatives have been found efficacious against Schistosoma spp., notably larval parasites, and
artemisinin derivatives have played a critical role in the prevention and treatment of human
schistosomiasis in China. Currently, China is moving towards the progress of
schistosomiasis elimination. However, the potential development of
praziquantel resistance may pose a great threat to the progress of elimination of
schistosomiasis japonica in China. Fortunately, these three major
artemisinin derivatives also exhibit actions against adult parasites, and reduced sensitivity to
artemether,
artesunate and
dihydroartemisinin has been detected in
praziquantel-resistant S. japonicum. In this review, we describe the application of
artemisinin derivatives in the prevention and treatment of
schistosomiasis japonica in China, so as to provide tools for the global agenda of
schistosomiasis elimination. In addition to
antimalarial and antischistosomal actions, they also show activities against other parasites and multiple
cancers.
Artemisinin derivatives, as old drugs identified firstly as
antimalarials, continue to create new stories.