Dihydroartemisinin (syn: DHA) is a first-generation derivative of artemisinin, isolated from Artemisia annua, a traditional Chinese herb. It is the major metabolite of artemether, an antimalarial agent. DHA is used against Plasmodium falciparum, the parasite causing malaria. The compound induces autophagy and apoptosis by suppressing NF-κB activation. DHA also has anti-inflammatory properties. DHA is commonly used as an analytical reference standard. The product is soluble in DMSO.
| Mechanism of Action |
Artemisins are thought to be involved with cleaving of endoperoxide bridges by iron, resulting in the production of free radicals which result in damage to biological macromolecules causing oxidative stress in the parasite cells. Anti-cancer mechanisms of Dihydroartemisinin include inhibiting proliferation, inducing apoptosis, inhibiting tumor metastatis and antiogenesis, promoting immune function, inducing autophagy and inducing endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. |
| Molecular Formula | C15H24O5 |
| Spectrum |
Activity against Plasmodium falciparum |
| Cancer Applications |
DHA may have a place as a chemotherapeutic, it targets human metastatic melanoma cells ( (A375, G361, LOX) via mitochondrial apoptosis downstream of cytotoxic oxidative stress without compromising viability of primary human melanocytes (Cabello et al, 2012). DHA has anti-tumor effects on lung, breast, prostate, and ovarian cancers. It can act synergistically with a variety of compounds for added anticancer potential (Dai et al, 2021). Artemisinin can target proteins in the human cancer cell proteome via heme-activated radical alkylation. |
| References |
Cabello CM (2012) The redox antimalarial Dihydroartemisinin targets human metastatic melanoma cells but not primary melanocytes with induction of NOXA-dependent apoptosis. Invest. New Drugs. 30(4):1289-1301 PMID 21547369 Dai X et al (2021) Dihydroartemisinin: A potential natural anticancer drug. Int J Biol Sci. 17(2):603-622. PMID 33613116 Thomas CG, Ward SA, Edwards G (1992) Selective determination, in plasma, of artemether and its major metabolite, Dihydroartemisinin, by high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection. J. Chromatog. 583(1):131-136 PMID 1484087 Wang Z et al (2014) A flow cytometry-based quantitative drug sensitivity assay for all Plasmodium falciparum gametocyte stages. PLoS One. 9(4):e93825 PMID 24736563 |