By Sierra Williams, Amara Zavala

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Laura Sipe

Abstract

Artemisinin, and its derivative, artesunate, are compounds extracted from the plant Artemisia annua. They are both known for their use as antimalarials, however, artesunate is a more widely used treatment due to its higher levels of bioavailability. In previous literature, both treatments were shown to decrease levels of inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-⍺ and IL-1β. In order to test the anti-inflammatory effects of these treatments, we performed multiple experiments that examined various inflammatory pathways. We measured both treatments at concentrations of 12.5 µM, 25 µM, and 50 µM, and treated LPS-stimulated macrophages to determine their anti-inflammatory effect. An MTT assay determined our treatment was not harmful to the cells, by measuring levels of mitochondrial activity. A Griess assay was performed to measure nitric oxide release, which is linked to the production of inflammatory cytokines. The Griess assay determined 50µM had the most significant anti-inflammatory effects, with artesunate having a more significant effect than artemisinin. Finally, we performed an ELISA assay to measure the release of TNF-⍺. The results from our ELISA demonstrated a slight anti-inflammatory effect from artemisinin but none from the artesunate. The overall results showed a potential for the anti-inflammatory use of artemisinin and artesunate.