Artesunate: A Holistic Cancer Treatment – Part 2

by | Aug 10, 2020 | Health Articles

Artesunate: A Holistic Cancer Treatment – Part 2

This is a continuation of the three part series on the wholistic cancer treatments artesunate are other artemisinins.

Are wholistic cancer treatments with artesunate and other artemisinins effective?

I will let the evidence speak for itself. Just facts. No opinion. There is too much opinion out there already masquerading as fact.

EFFERTH T, ZACCHINO S, GEORGIEV MI, LIU L, WAGNER H, PANOSSIAN A. NOBEL PRIZE FOR ARTEMISININ BRINGS PHYTOTHERAPY INTO THE SPOTLIGHT. PHYTOMEDICINE. 2015 DEC 1;22(13):A1-3. DOI: 10.1016/J.PHYMED.2015.10.003.

Since Dr. Youyou Tu’s discovery and isolation of artemisinin from sweet wormwood, the research on artemisinin and its various derivatives in the treatment of cancer has exploded. The image to the left shows how the worldwide research of artemisinins in cancer has outpaced all other topics of research on artemisinins [1]. In addition, artesunate, artemisinin, and other artemisinins are safe and effective against malaria in clinical trials [2] [3]. In fact, artesunate is now the gold-standard in the treatment of malaria infection worldwide. But this is about cancer—what evidence is there that artesunate and other artemisinins are effective against cancer? A wide variety of study types including pre-clinical, clinical trials, and yes even the golden-calf of evidence-based medicine that is the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials [4], have shown artesunate, artemisinin, and other artemisinins to be clinically effective against a wide variety of cancer types that include:

These are just the cancer types that have been studied. Artesunate and other artemisinins will likely prove to be effective against most, if not all, cancer types with the addition of further studies and clinical trials.

The mechanism of actions against cancer is equally diverse. In today’s growing environment of online censorship in the name of fake or misleading news, it is important to document the evidence behind the anti-cancer mechanisms of artesunate and other artemisinins. I will let the science lead the way, not opinion or bias’ as seen by the faux-scientists who censor through the long arms of social media and the internet in the name of science. The active politicization of science and medicine will be the death of science and medicine. I am afraid that the obituary of science and medicine is already being written. As, a result, patients will suffer from a lack of innovation and discovery. Why? For no other reason but profits and control. Sadly, nothing to do with the patient.

The specific anti-cancer benefits of artesunate include:

Out of control proliferation and growth are synonymous with cancer. Specific effects include inhibition of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway, inhibition of COX-2, inhibition of Prostaglandins (particularly PGE-2), cancer cell cycle arrest growth at G2/M and G0/G1 phases, decreased expression of the proliferative index Ki67, inhibition of Nitric Oxide (NO) production, and decrease in HIF-1alpha levels.

Programmed cell death, called apoptosis, is a key regulatory step the body can use to limit and eliminate abnormal cell and/or cancer cell growth. Cancer often circumvents this regulatory ability to eliminate abnormal cells. This is key in cancer cell survival. Specific effects include inhibition of STAT3 (a down-stream cytokine signal, considered an oncogene, that promotes growth and stimulation of other oncogenes), activation of caspase-3, caspase-8, and cascade-9 that stimulate and execute the signal of cell death through apoptosis, increase in Bcl-Rambo levels, decrease in Bcl-2 levels, decreased Bcl-xl levels, increase in the tumor suppressor gene expression of p21 and p53, increase in Bax levels, inhibition of survivin, decrease in PI3K expression, decrease in Akt expression, decrease in TGF-beta, decrease in cyclin-B1, and cancer cell cycle growth arrest in the G2/M phase.

A new term for most. Artesunate and other artemisinin derivatives have been shown to trigger a unique pathway for programmed cell death of cancer cells using iron. Cancer collects high iron and ferritin for replication—called the ferritin or Fe pool. Think of this pooling, not as the energy to build a new cell, but the supplies to build a new cell. Take the building of a new house as an analogy. The energy capacity to build a new house is a well feed work crew and machinery that has an appropriate energy supply, whether electric or gas. The ferritin and/or iron pool is the nails, the cement for foundation, 2 x 4 wood for framing… A new house, or cancer cell, requires both an adequate energy supply with additional building materials to build that house or that new cancer cell. Artesunate binds to this free, available iron (Fe) and ferritin within the cancer cell that then overwhelms the cancer detoxification capacity that then triggers apoptosis (programmed cell destruction) of the cancer cell. Apoptosis driven by ferritin or iron is called ferroptosis.

Angiogenesis is the massive blood vessel growth that is so important to cancer survival and spread. In many ways, it is cancer’s lifeline for survival and the superhighway to spread. Specific effects include a decrease in HIF-1alpha levels, downregulation of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor (VEGFR), inhibition of Nitric Oxide (NO) production, and increase in epigenetic expression of angiogenesis inhibitors.

Remember, 90% of morbidity and mortality in cancer occurs as a result of metastasis. A treatment that reduces cancer metastasis would be a definitive approach to reducing cancer mortality. The opposite is true, a therapy i.e. chemotherapy…that increases cancer metastasis would be an approach to increase cancer mortality. Specific effects of artesunate against metastasis include inhibition of NO production in a dose-dependent manner, inactivation of the genetic transcription inflammatory factor NF-kappaB, decrease in MMP-2 and MMP-9 expression, and increase E-cadherin expression.

  • Epigenetics 40 [53]

Epigenetics is defined as the expression of the genetic code—DNA. Epigenetics is translated “above genetics”. The field of epigenetics is becoming an important therapeutic target to change our genetic expression to promote healing and not dis-ease. No longer is DNA seen as a fixed contributor to cancer or dis-ease, but through the prism of epigenetics, DNA expression is amendable, adaptable…simply, it can be changed. This of course could be for the better or for the worse. In the case for cancer in this blog post, I will focus on the alteration of genetic expression for the good—anti-cancer. Specific anti-cancer epigenetic changes induced by artesunate include a decrease in Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) transcription. The human epidermal growth factor type II, also known as HER-2, is important in the treatment in breast and a few other cancer types [54]. This is why the drugs Herceptin and Perjeta are prescribed. This HER-2 receptor is a member of the EGFR family. Artesunate and other artemisinins also have been shown to increase p21 tumor suppressor gene transcription, increase p53 tumor suppressor gene transcription, and increase in Beclin-1 transcription.

  • Mitochondria 11 [55]

Mitochondria are the powerhouses of the cell. These organelles are present in every cell and are responsible for the energy production of the cell. The ability to make energy is critical to cell survival. This is critical in cancer development and progression as mitochondria become corrupted, dysfunctional, which leads to the altered cellular energy pathway described by Otto Warburg (aerobic glycolysis) that appropriately carries his name—Warburg effect. Artesunate disrupts (depolarization) the membrane potential of cancer cell mitochondria which leads to the disruption in the energy supply, destruction of the mitochondria, and eventually to the demise of the cancer cell. Interestingly, this does not occur in healthy, non-cancer cells.

Artesunate, artemisinin, and other derivatives have been shown to increase radiation effectiveness by acting as a sensitizing signal when used in conjunction with radiation therapy. Thus, artesunate is an effective adjunct therapy when used in conjunction with radiation. This is effective against a wide variety of cancer types including cervical cancer, esophageal cancer, lung cancer…

Artesunate and other artemisinins have been shown to increase chemotherapy efficacy by acting as a sensitizing signal in conjunction with chemotherapy. Thus, as in radiation, artesunate is an effective adjunct therapy when used in conjunction with chemotherapy. Artesunate and other artemisinins have shown to augment chemotherapy in both in vitro and in vivo studies in a wide variety of cancer types including lung cancer, ovarian cancer, liver cancer…

Treatment resistance is a major contributor to treatment failure, cancer recurrence, and cancer mortality. Chemo resistance is the loss of cancer sensitivity to chemotherapy. The prevention and reversal of cancer treatment resistance would be significant in the ability to improve cancer treatment effectiveness and success. Artemisinin, artesunate, and dihydroartemisinin have been shown to restore chemotherapy killing effects in cancer that was previously chemotherapy-resistant. I just talked to a potential patient that had been on chemotherapy for > 10 months and treatment resistance had set in—despite continued treatment, cancer growth increased and metastasis developed. According to published evidence, the addition of artesunate could be a way to restore the cancer-killing effects of chemotherapy by restoring cancer sensitivity to chemotherapy.

  • Modification of the immune system

Due to its significance in cancer treatment, artesunate and other artemisinins will be discussed individually in the next blog post.

Artesunate doesn’t just have direct wide-spread anti-cancer effects, but it functions as an adjunct therapy that makes other therapies, including conventional (as shown above), work that much better.

Beyond these wonderful, broad anti-cancer effects of artesunate and other artemisinins, artesunate, in particular, is anti-viral [67] and an effective counter to cytokine storm. Studies (animal and human) have shown artesunate calms the cytokine storm associated with sepsis [68] [69] [70] and in malaria [71]. It is the cytokine storm that is the common link between malaria, virus’ like COVID19, and cancer that provides insight into the broad treatment potential with artesunate and other artemisinins.

No opinion. That is the evidence!

______

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