Dihydroartemisinin

PLoS One. 2015 Mar 23;10(3):e0120426.

Dihydroartemisinin inhibits glucose uptake and cooperates with glycolysis inhibitor to induce apoptosis in non-small cell lung carcinoma cells.[Pubmed: 25799586]

Despite recent advances in the therapy of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the chemotherapy efficacy against NSCLC is still unsatisfactory. Previous studies show the herbal antimalarial drug Dihydroartemisinin (DHA) displays cytotoxic to multiple human tumors.
METHODS AND RESULTS:
Here, we showed that DHA decreased cell viability and colony formation, induced apoptosis in A549 and PC-9 cells. Additionally, we first revealed DHA inhibited glucose uptake in NSCLC cells. Moreover, glycolytic metabolism was attenuated by DHA, including inhibition of ATP and lactate production. Consequently, we demonstrated that the phosphorylated forms of both S6 ribosomal protein and mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR), and GLUT1 levels were abrogated by DHA treatment in NSCLC cells. Furthermore, the upregulation of mTOR activation by high expressed Rheb increased the level of glycolytic metabolism and cell viability inhibited by DHA. These results suggested that DHA-suppressed glycolytic metabolism might be associated with mTOR activation and GLUT1 expression. Besides, we showed GLUT1 overexpression significantly attenuated DHA-triggered NSCLC cells apoptosis. Notably, DHA synergized with 2-Deoxy-D-glucose (2DG, a glycolysis inhibitor) to reduce cell viability and increase cell apoptosis in A549 and PC-9 cells. However, the combination of the two compounds displayed minimal toxicity to WI-38 cells, a normal lung fibroblast cell line. More importantly, 2DG synergistically potentiated DHA-induced activation of caspase-9, -8 and -3, as well as the levels of both cytochrome c and AIF of cytoplasm. However, 2DG failed to increase the reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels elicited by DHA.
CONCLUSIONS:
Overall, the data shown above indicated DHA plus 2DG induced apoptosis was involved in both extrinsic and intrinsic apoptosis pathways in NSCLC cells.

Cancer Res. 2005 Dec 1;65(23):10854-61.

Dihydroartemisinin is cytotoxic to papillomavirus-expressing epithelial cells in vitro and in vivo.[Pubmed: 16322232 ]

Nearly all cervical cancers are etiologically attributable to human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and pharmaceutical treatments targeting HPV-infected cells would be of great medical benefit. Because many neoplastic cells (including cervical cancer cells) overexpress the transferrin receptor to increase their iron uptake, we hypothesized that iron-dependent, antimalarial drugs such as artemisinin might prove useful in treating HPV-infected or transformed cells.
METHODS AND RESULTS:
We tested three different artemisinin compounds and found that Dihydroartemisinin (DHA) and artesunate displayed strong cytotoxic effects on HPV-immortalized and transformed cervical cells in vitro with little effect on normal cervical epithelial cells. DHA-induced cell death involved activation of the mitochondrial caspase pathway with resultant apoptosis. Apoptosis was p53 independent and was not the consequence of drug-induced reductions in viral oncogene expression. Due to its selective cytotoxicity, hydrophobicity, and known ability to penetrate epithelial surfaces, we postulated that DHA might be useful for the topical treatment of mucosal papillomavirus lesions. To test this hypothesis, we applied DHA to the oral mucosa of dogs that had been challenged with the canine oral papillomavirus. Although applied only intermittently, DHA strongly inhibited viral-induced tumor formation. Interestingly, the DHA-treated, tumor-negative dogs developed antibodies against the viral L1 capsid protein, suggesting that DHA had inhibited tumor growth but not early rounds of papillomavirus replication.
CONCLUSIONS:
These findings indicate that DHA and other artemisinin derivatives may be useful for the topical treatment of epithelial papillomavirus lesions, including those that have progressed to the neoplastic state.

Int J Mol Med. 2015 May;35(5):1381-7.

Dihydroartemisinin inhibits endothelial cell proliferation through the suppression of the ERK signaling pathway.[Pubmed: 25778668]

Disrupting tumor angiogenesis serves as an important strategy for cancer therapy. Dihydroartemisinin (DHA), a semi-synthetic derivative of artemisinin, has exhibited potent anti-angiogenic activity. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying this effect have not been fully understood. The present study aimed to investigate the role of DHA on endothelial cell proliferation, the essential process in angiogenesis. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) treated with DHA were examined for proliferation, apoptosis and activation of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signaling pathway. Proliferation of HUVECs was inhibited by 20 μM DHA without induction of apoptosis. DHA also reduced the phosphorylation of ERK1/2, and downregulated the mRNA and protein expression of ERK1/2 in HUVECs. In addition, DHA suppressed the transcription and protein expression of ERK1/2 downstream effectors c-Fos and c-Myc. Electrical cell-substrate impedance sensing real-time analysis demonstrated that ERK signaling inhibitor PD98059 comprises the anti-proliferative effects of DHA. Thus, DHA inhibits endothelial cell proliferation by suppressing the ERK signaling pathway.
CONCLUSIONS:
The present study strengthened the potential of DHA as an angiogenesis inhibitor for cancer treatment.

Int J Clin Exp Pathol. 2014 Dec 1;7(12):8684-91. eCollection 2014.

Dihydroartemisinin inhibits cell proliferation via AKT/GSK3β/cyclinD1 pathway and induces apoptosis in A549 lung cancer cells.[Pubmed: 25674233]

Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related death in the world. The main types of lung cancer are small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) and non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC); non small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) includes squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), adenocarcinoma and large cell carcinoma, Non small cell lung carcinoma accounts for about 80% of the total lung cancer cases.
METHODS AND RESULTS:
Dihydroartemisinin (DHA) inhibits cell proliferation and induces apoptosis in several cancer cell lines. The effects of DHA on cell growth and proliferation in lung cancer cells remain to be elucidated. Here, we demonstrate that DHA inhibited cell proliferation in the A549 lung cancer cell line through suppression of the AKT/Gsk-3β/cyclin D1 signaling pathway. DHA significantly inhibited cell proliferation of A549 cells in a concentration and time dependent manner as determined by MTS assay. Flow cytometry analysis demonstrated that DHA treatment of A549 cells resulted in cell cycle arrest at the G1 phase, which correlated with apparent downregulation of both mRNA and protein levels of both PCNA and cyclin D1.
CONCLUSIONS:
These results suggest that DHA is a potential natural product for the treatment of lung cancer.