The "identity" of artemisinin has been controversial for a long time. Some people say it is traditional Chinese medicine, some people say it is western medicine, and some people say it is a combination of Chinese medicine and western medicine. So, what exactly is artemisinin like? In this regard, Kong Lingyi, vice president of China Pharmaceutical University, believes that western medicine and Chinese medicine are not antagonistic. Many people are used to distinguishing them, but in fact, western medicine and Chinese medicine are inseparable and complement each other. The sources of western medicine are traditional Chinese medicine and natural medicine, and the components of western medicine and traditional Chinese medicine are all chemical components.
artemisinin is a chemical component extracted from the stems and leaves of Artemisia annua. It is a natural product. Artemisia annua is very common in our daily life. Artemisia annua, a plant of Artemisia annua, is a dark green annual plant belonging to compound family. The main use of artemisinin is to prevent malaria. Artemisinin is the most popular effective antimalarial drug after pymetrozine, chloroquine and quine. Especially for cerebral malaria and chloroquine-resistant malaria, artemisinin has the characteristics of quick response and low toxicity, and is called "the only effective malaria treatment drug in the world" by the World Health Organization. ACTS antimalarial mechanism is that in the process of malaria treatment, the free radicals produced by artemisinin are activated, and the free radicals react with protein of plasmodium, which affects the membrane system structure of parasites, including the destruction of vesicle membrane, nuclear membrane and plasma membrane, the swelling of mitochondria, and the peeling off of inner and outer membranes, which damages the cell structure and function of plasmodium and affects the chromatin in the nucleus. Artemisinin can also significantly reduce the intake of isoleucine by plasmodium, thus inhibiting the synthesis of protein.
anti-tumor. Artemisinin can induce the apoptosis of breast cancer cells, liver cancer cells, cervical cancer cells and other cancer cells, and obviously inhibit the growth of cancer cells. The anti-tumor effect of artemisinin and its derivatives is mainly achieved by inducing apoptosis. Dihydroartemisinin can inhibit the activation of related factors induced by hypoxia by increasing reactive oxygen species (ROS) and exert selective cytotoxicity. Artemisinin acts on the cell membrane of leukemia cells, changes the permeability of the cell membrane and increases the concentration of intracellular calcium ions, which can not only activate calpain and make it swell and die, but also promote the release of apoptotic substances and accelerate cell apoptosis. Immune regulation. It is found that artemisinin and its derivatives can inhibit the mitosis of T lymphocytes and induce the proliferation of spleen lymphocytes in mice without cytotoxicity. This discovery has a good reference value for the treatment of autoimmune diseases mediated by T lymphocytes.
antifungal. The antifungal effect of artemisinin also makes artemisinin show certain antifungal activity. Studies have confirmed that artemisinin powder and decoction have strong inhibitory effects on anthrax, Staphylococcus epidermidis, diphtheria and diphtheria, and also have certain inhibitory effects on tuberculosis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus and Shigella dysenteriae. Others. Artemisinin and Cordyceps sinensis are also used to inhibit the recurrence of lupus nephritis and protect the kidney. Its anti-fibrosis effect can obviously reduce the fibrosis degree of lung tissue, and it has a good practical prospect for preventing and treating scars.