Anticancer activity of artemisinin-derived trioxanes

The recent scientific and patent literature on therapeutically promising anticancer trioxanes derived from the antimalarial artemisinin are reviewed through mid-2006. Several of these new chemical entities, especially some trioxane dimers, have selective and very potent anticancer activity even at low nanomolar concentrations. A major opportunity exists for the development of these and related trioxanes into anticancer drug candidates.