Artemisinin and its Derivatives – Novel Treatment Options for HPV-infection and Cervical Dysplasia

Potent antiviral agents to treat high risk HPV-infections and resulting intraepithelial lesions have not been developed. Surgical intervention is currently standard of care for pre-invasive cervical dysplasia and overtreatment out of concern for progression or underlying high grade lesions is found frequently. Effective and inexpensive treatment options would be of great medical and economic benefit. Many neoplastic cells, including cervical cancers, overexpress transferrin-receptors to increase their iron uptake. We therefore hypothesized that artemisinin-derivatives, active principles of the medical herb Artem…