Artesunate  (Synonyms: 青蒿琥酯)

After treatment with Artesunate for 24 h, cells are harvested and lysed in 1×cell lysis buffer. Total proteins of 15 to 25 μg are separated by SDS-PAGE and transferred to polyvinylidenedifluoride (PVDF) membranes. Membranes are blocked with 5% non-fat milk for 1 to 2 h at room temperature and then probed with primary antibodies and incubated at 4°C overnight. After extensive washing with TBS-T, membranes are incubated with appropriate HRP-conjugated secondary antibody for 1 h at room temperature, and then are detected by Western ECL-enhanced luminol reagent ^[3].

MCE has not independently confirmed the accuracy of these methods. They are for reference only.

A2780 and HO8910 cells are cultured in RPMI 1640, Normal human fibroblasts (NHF) in DMEM, and FTE-187 in M199, supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum, 100 units/mL penicillin, and 100 mg/mL streptomycin. All the cells are incubated in a humidified atmosphere of 95% air and 5% CO₂. Artesunate is applied to the cultured cells at the concentration of 0, 5, 10, 25, or 50 µg/mL for various periods. The reactive oxygen species (ROS) production following Artesunate treatment is determined. Briefly, cells are loaded with 5 μM of CM-H2DCFDA and incubated at 37°C for 20 min after treatment with Artesunate. Cells are resuspended using preserving fluid and analyzed with a FACSCanto II. The peak excitation wavelength for oxidized CM-H2DCFDA is 490 nm and emission is 530 nm^[3].

MCE has not independently confirmed the accuracy of these methods. They are for reference only.

Four to six weeks old female athymic nude mice (BALB/c, nu/nu) are used. A2780 and HO8910 cells are harvested and resuspended in 0.1 ml of PBS, 5×10⁶ cells/0.2 mL are injected subcutaneously into the left inguinal area of the mice. Two weeks later, mice bearing tumors (~70 mm³ for A2780 and HO8910) are randomly divided into 4 groups. Artesunate is administered daily via i.p. injection at doses of 50 mg/kg alone for 16 days. The tumor growth is monitored every other day. Tumor volume is determined by the formula 1/2a×b² where a is the long diameter (mm) and b is the short diameter (mm)^[3].

MCE has not independently confirmed the accuracy of these methods. They are for reference only.

• [1]. Ilamathi M, et al. Artesunate as an Anti-Cancer Agent Targets Stat-3 and Favorably Suppresses Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Curr Top Med Chem. 2016;16(22):2453-63.  [Content Brief]

  [2]. Lisewski AM, et al. Supergenomic network compression and the discovery of EXP1 as a glutathione transferase inhibited by artesunate. Cell. 2014 Aug 14;158(4):916-928.  [Content Brief]

  [3]. Wang B, et al. Artesunate sensitizes ovarian cancer cells to cisplatin by downregulating RAD51. Cancer Biol Ther. 2015;16(10):1548-56.  [Content Brief]