Artemisia spp.: An Update on Its Chemical Composition, Pharmacological and Toxicological Profiles
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Date
2022-09
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Type
Article
Publisher
Hindawi Publishing Corporation
Series Info
Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity;Volume 2022, Article ID 5628601, 23 pages
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Abstract
Artemisia plants are traditional and ethnopharmacologically used to treat several diseases and in addition in food, spices, and
beverages. The genus is widely distributed in all continents except the Antarctica, and traditional medicine has been used as
antimalarial, antioxidant, anticancer, antinociceptive, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral agents. This review is aimed at
systematizing scientific data on the geographical distribution, chemical composition, and pharmacological and toxicological
profiles of the Artemisia genus. Data from the literature on Artemisia plants were taken using electronic databases such as
PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, and Web of Science. Selected papers for this updated study included data about phytochemicals,
preclinical pharmacological experimental studies with molecular mechanisms included, clinical studies, and toxicological and
safety data. In addition, ancient texts and books were consulted. The essential oils and phytochemicals of the Artemisia genus
have reported important biological activities, among them the artemisinin, a sesquiterpene lactone, with antimalarial activity.
Artemisia absinthium L. is one of the most famous Artemisia spp. due to its use in the production of the absinthe drink which
is restricted in most countries because of neurotoxicity. The analyzed studies confirmed that Artemisia plants have many
traditional and pharmacological applications. However, scientific data are limited to clinical and toxicological research.
Therefore, further research is needed on these aspects to understand the full therapeutic potential and molecular
pharmacological mechanisms of this medicinal species.
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Keywords
Artemisia, Chemical Composition, Pharmacological, Toxicological