Development of artemisinin drugs in the treatment of autoimmune diseases

Artemisinin drugs are a family of sesquiterpene trioxane lactone agents originally derived from Artemisia annua L. Due to the big victory in the antimalarial battle, the 2015 Nobel Prize goes to the discoverer of artemisinin-based therapy for malaria. Beyond antimalaria, artemisinin and its derivatives are also being investigated in diseases like schistosomiasis, viral infection, cancers and inflammation. Over the past decades, the anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects of artemisinin drugs have been comprehensively studied. In this article, we will briefly describe the development of artemisinin drugs, especially novel artemisinin derivatives, in the treatment of autoimmune diseases.