ArticleCancers2020
Artesunate Affects T Antigen Expression and Survival of Virus-Positive Merkel Cell Carcinoma.
Article in Cancers, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 22 citations in OpenAlex.
- The Role of Artemisinin and its Derivatives in Cancer Therapy via Ferroptosis: A Systematic Review ofAnti-cancer agents in medicinal chemistry · 2026Pooled it
- Artesunate preserves post-resuscitation myocardial and neurologic function in a rat model of cardiac arrest and cardiopulmonary resuscitation.Resuscitation plus · 2026Article
- Therapeutic Approaches for Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer: Standard of Care and Emerging Modalities.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Review
- An Investigation of Structure-Activity Relationships and Cell Death Mechanisms of the Marine Alkaloids Discorhabdins in Merkel Cell Carcinoma Cells.Marine drugs · 2023Article
- Free Radical and Viral Infection: A Review from the Perspective of Ferroptosis.Veterinary sciences · 2023Review
- Article
- Nationwide multidisciplinary consensus on the clinical management of Merkel cell carcinoma: a Delphi panel.Journal for immunotherapy of cancer · 2022Article
- Ferroptosis: Mechanism and connections with cutaneous diseases.Frontiers in cell and developmental biology · 2022Review
- Artesunate Inhibits the Growth Behavior of Docetaxel-Resistant Prostate Cancer Cells.Frontiers in oncology · 2022Article
- Artemisinins in Combating Viral Infections Like SARS-CoV-2, Inflammation and Cancers and Options to Meet Increased Global Demand.Frontiers in plant science · 2022Review
- Progress on the study of the anticancer effects of artesunate.Oncology letters · 2021Review
- Malaria and Cancer: a critical review on the established associations and new perspectives.Infectious agents and cancer · 2021Review
- Article
- From Merkel Cell Polyomavirus Infection to Merkel Cell Carcinoma Oncogenesis.Frontiers in microbiology · 2021Review
- Merkel Cell Polyomavirus and Merkel Cell Carcinoma.Cancers · 2020Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare and highly aggressive skin cancer with frequent viral etiology. Indeed, in about 80% of cases, there is an association with Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV); the expression of viral T antigens is crucial for growth of virus-positive tumor cells. Since artesunate-a drug used to treat malaria-has been reported to possess additional anti-tumor as well as anti-viral activity, we sought to evaluate pre-clinically the effect of artesunate on MCC. We found that artesunate repressed growth and survival of MCPyV-positive MCC cells in vitro. This effect was accompanied by reduced large T antigen (LT) expression. Notably, however, it was even more efficient than shRNA-mediated downregulation of LT expression. Interestingly, in one MCC cell line (WaGa), T antigen knockdown rendered cells less sensitive to artesunate, while for two other MCC cell lines, we could not substantiate such a relation. Mechanistically, artesunate predominantly induces ferroptosis in MCPyV-positive MCC cells since known ferroptosis-inhibitors like DFO, BAF-A1, Fer-1 and β-mercaptoethanol reduced artesunate-induced death. Finally, application of artesunate in xenotransplanted mice demonstrated that growth of established MCC tumors can be significantly suppressed in vivo. In conclusion, our results revealed a highly anti-proliferative effect of the approved and generally well-tolerated anti-malaria compound artesunate on MCPyV-positive MCC cells, suggesting its potential usage for MCC therapy.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.