Table 5.

Biological activities of Artemisia species.

Direction of Activity	Species	Extract/Essential Oil	Part	Classification	Compounds	Model/Assay	Short Description of Performed Studies	References
Antitumor activity	A. abrotanum	Essential oil	Aerial part	Monoterpenoids	Borneol, cymene, camphor, terpineol, 1,8-cineole, and aromadendrene	In vitro	Decrease in the survival of neoplastic cells of the RD (rhabdomyosarcoma). The viability of RD cells after the application of the essential oil at concentrations of 25, 50, and 100 μg/mL was 29.679%, 20.833%, and 20.256%, respectively.	[168]
		Methanolic extract	Leaves	Phenolic acids	Chlorogenic and isochlorogenic acids	In vitro	Methanolic extract of A. abrotanum leaves in serial concentrations of 50, 100, 200, 300, and 400 µg/mL and its components (including chlorogenic acid and isochlorogenic acid) inhibits the proliferation of cells of the Jurkat line (T-lymphoblastic leukemia line, IC50 = 82.64 µg/mL), MCF-7 line (breast adenocarcinoma line, IC50 = 71.04 µg/mL), HeLa line (cervical adenocarcinoma line, IC50 = 49.97 µg/mL), and HT-29 line (colorectal adenocarcinoma line, IC50 = 54.75 µg/mL).	[20]
	A. dracunculus	hexane, ethyl acetate, acetone, ethanol, acetonitrile and supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2)	Leaves	Polyphenols, alkamides	nt *	In vitro (mouse lymphoma L5178YD cells)	Inhibition of the proliferation of mouse lymphoma cells (L5178YD) due to the presence of polyphenols and alkamides in leaf extracts. In the control group the tumor cell count was 17.969 × 106, the acetonitrile extract from A. dracunculus leaves reduced the cell count to 0.1 × 106.	[21]
Alleviating allergy symptoms	A. abrotanum	Essential oil and isolated flavonoids	Aerial part	Monoterpenoids, flavonoids	1,8-Cineole, davanone, linalool, centaureidine dimethylether, casticin and quercetin	In vivo	Relief of symptoms of allergic rhinitis with possible concomitant allergic conjunctivitis, symptoms of bronchial obstruction, and symptoms of exercise-induced asthma by using a nasal spray with a mixture of essential oils and flavonoids present in A. abrotanum.	[117]
Digestion-stimulating activity	A. absinthium	Ethanol	Herb	nt	nt	In vivo	Change in postprandial hemodynamics in the gastric digestive phase with increased hyperemia, probably due to the effects of bitter compounds contained in the herb of the plant.	[19]
Appetite-stimulating activity	A. absinthium	nt	Aerial part	nt	nt	In vivo	Enrichment of sheep fodder with silage containing A. absinthium increases the amount of fodder consumed, improves digestion, induces nitrogen retention, and has a positive effect on the development of microorganisms involved in nitrogen assimilation.	[180]
		nt	Aerial part	nt	nt	In vivo	Improvement in nutrient supply and digestion, faster growth, improvement in carcass quality, and the amount of fatty acids among Hanwoo steers.	[181]
Antiulcer activity	A. absinthium	carbon tetrachloride, chloroform, methanol, ethanol, hexane	Aerial part and root	nt	nt	In vivo (rats)	Decrease in gastric juice volume, reduction in gastric acid and pepsin secretion, and decrease in the digestion rate.	[182]
Hepatoprotective activity	A. absinthium	Hydro-methanol	Herb	nt	nt	In vivo (rats)	A. absinthium extracts (in dose 500 mg/kg) inhibit liver microsomal enzymes (20%) that are responsible for the metabolism of xenobiotics.	[183]
		Methanol	Herb	nt	nt	In vivo (rats)	Methanolic extracts from the herb of the plant (in dose 50 mg/kg) protect liver cells by reducing ALAT (alanine aminotransferase) and ASPAT (aspartate aminotransferase) levels and by reducing oxidative damage.	[13]
		Aqueous	Herb	nt	nt	In vivo (mice)	Protection of the liver due to the immunomodulatory and/or antioxidant properties of A. absinthium (in dose 500, 100, or 200 mg/kg body weight/day).	[184]
	A. dracunculus	Hydro-ethanol	Herb	nt	nt	In vivo (rats)	The extract (at dose 50, 100, or 200 mg/kg) decreased the levels of ALAT, ASPAT, alkaline phosphatase, and total bilirubin and increased total protein levels.	[40]
	A. vulgaris	Hydro-ethanol	Aerial part	nt	nt	In vivo (mice)	Prophylactic protective effect limiting inflammation, cellular edema, apoptotic cell count, and hyperemia of the hepatic parenchyma of hydro-ethanolic extract (at dose 600 mg/kg).	[209]
Antispasmolytic activity	A. vulgaris	Chloroform and methanol	Herb	Sesquiterpenoids	Yomogin and 1,2,3,4-diepoxy-11(13)-eudesmen-12,8-olide	In vivo (guinea pigs)	Antagonism toward H1 histamine receptors.	[138,142]
Anthelmintic activity	A. absinthium	Aqueous and an ethanolic	Aerial part	nt	nt	In vivo (sheep)	Extracts from A. absinthium (in dose 2 g/kg body weight) cause paralysis and/or death of Haemonchus contortus nematodes and reduce (80.49%) the number of the parasite’s eggs in the host’s feces.	[185]
		Essential oil	Aerial part	nt	nt	In vivo (mice)	Lethal effect on Trichinella spiralis larvae.	[86,186]
		Ethanolic	Herb	nt	nt	In vivo (rabbits)	Lethal effect of A. absinthium ethanolic extract on Ascaris suum eggs and Trichostrongylus colubriformis larvae.	[187]
		Ethanolic extract	Aerial part	nt	nt	In vivo (sheep), in vitro (parasite motility inhibition test)	Lethal effect on H. contortus tested in vivo; reduction in its mobility in vitro.	[188]
	A. vulgaris	Methanol	Herb	nt	nt	In vivo (rats)	Extract (at dose 300 mg/kg) inhibited activity against T. spiralis by 75.6% and 63.5% in the tongue, 53.4% and 37.7% in the diaphragm, 67.8% and 46.2% in the quadriceps, and 66.7% and 60.5% in the biceps–triceps muscles of rats.	[186]
Antiprotozoal activity	A. absinthium	Aqueous and ethanolic extracts	Aerial part	nt	nt	In vitro (mice)	Lethal effect of aqueous and ethanolic extracts from A. absinthium on Plasmodium berghei (in dose 74 mg/kg).	[25]
		Hydro-ethanolic	Herb	nt	nt	In vitro (chloroquine-resistant (K1) and chloroquine-sensitive (CY27) strains of Plasmodium berghei)	Lethal effect of the hydro-ethanolic extract P. berghei. IC50 = 0.46 μg/mL for the K1 strain and IC50 = 0.195 μg/mL for the CY27.	[26]
		nt	Herb powdered	nt	nt	In vivo (human)	Lethal effect of capsuled powdered herb of A. absinthium in dose 500 mg on Entamoeba histolytica.	[30]
		Essential oil	Aerial part	nt	nt	In vitro	Lethal activity against the promastigotes and amastigotes forms of the protozoa Leishmania aethiopica and Leishmania donovani. MIC for both microorganisms in the promastigote form was 0.1565 μL/mL.	[32]
		Ethanol	Aerial part	Flavonoids, sesquiterpenoid lactone	Artemetin, casticin, hydroxypelenolide	In vitro	Lethal activity in vitro against Leishmania infantum and Trypanosoma cruzi	[33,34]
		Essential oil	Aerial part	Sesquiterpenoids	(E)-Caryophyllene and 3,6-dihydrochamazulene	In vitro	Lethal effect of the essential oil on T. cruzi and on Trichomonas vaginalis. The compounds likely to be responsible for this activity are (E)-caryophyllene and 3,6-dihydrochamazulene.	[35]
		Aqueous and ethanolic	Aerial part	Sesquiterpenoids lactones	Artemisinin, dihydroartemisinin	In vitro	Inhibition (100%) of Naegleria fowleri growth by sesquiterpenoid lactones from A. absinthium.	[36]
		Aqueous	Aerial part	nt	nt	In vitro	Inhibition (88.9%) of A. absinthium aqueous extract against Plasmodium falciparum.	[37]
	A. annua	Methanol, ethanol, aqueous	Herb	Sesquiterpene lactone	Artemisinin	In vivo/In vitro	Lethal activity against Artemisia castellani of artemisinin and methanolic, ethanolic, and aqueous extracts from A. annua herb.	[27]
		n-Hexane, ethanol, and water	Leaves and seeds	nt	nt	In vitro	Compounds present in A. annua seed and leaf extracts have lethal activity against L. donovani.	[29]
	A. d racunculus	Hydro-ethanol	Herb	nt	nt	In vitro	The extract (at dose (100–1000 μg/mL) inhibited the development of the promastigote form of Leishmania major. The recorded MIC values of the extract after 24 h, 48 h and 72 h were: 962.03, 688.36 and 585.51 μg/mL.	[28]
Immunostimulating activity	A. absinthium	Ethanolic	Herb	nt	nt	In vivo (mice)	Induction of dendritic cell maturation by increasing the level of CD40 surface expression and by induction of cytokines. It was found that at 100 μg/mL extract the proliferation of T-lymphocytes was reduced by 78.2% relative to the control.	[189]
		nt	Herb	Polysaccharides	nt	In vivo (mice)	Induction of TH1 immune response and stimulation of nitric oxide production by macrophages.	[190]
Immunosuppressive activity	A. annua	Ethanol	Herb	nt	nt	In vitro/In vivo	Inhibition of lymphocyte proliferation and reduction in IgG, IgG1, and IgG2b antibody levels after the administration of A. annua whole-plant extract (at dose 0.25, 0.5, and 1. 0 mg).	[91]
		nt	Herb	Sesquiterpene lactone	Artemisinin	In vivo (mice)	Artemisinin obtained from A. annua inhibits late-type hypersensitivity response and has a suppressive effect on calmodulin responsible for activation of T lymphocytes.	[198]
	A. d racunculus	Aqueous	Herb	nt	nt	In vivo (mice)	The extract (at dose 100 mg/kg) reduced IL-17 (interleukin 17) and IFN-γ (interferon gamma) production and intensification of the phagocytosis process carried out by macrophages.	[149]
		Aqueous	Herb	nt	nt	In vivo (mice)	Lowering of IL-17 and IL-23 (interleukin-23) levels and reduction in the infiltration of leukocytes into brain cells.	[204]
		Hydro-ethanol	Leaves	nt	nt	In vivo (mice)	Increased neutrophil levels and decreased lymphocyte levels after intraperitoneal administration of the hydroethanolic extract from the leaves (at dose 200 mg/kg).	[205]
Cytotoxic activity	A. absinthium	Methanol	Leaves	nt	nt	In vitro	Inhibition of proliferation of breast cancer cells of MDA-MB-231 (50% at 20 g/mL) and MCF-7 lines (50%, at 25 g/mL).	[17]
		Essential oil	Aerial part	Sesquiterpenoids	(E)-Caryophyllene, germacrene D	In vitro	The essential oil, in particular (E)-caryophyllene and/or germacrene D, is toxic to tumor lines A548, NCI-H292, HCT116, MCF-7, and SK-MEL-5.	[18]
	A. annua	Ethyl acetate	Aerial part	Polyphenols	Caffeic acid, syringic aldehyde, dicaffeoylquinic acid isomer, quercetin 3-O-galactoside, dicaffeoylquinic acid isomer, mearnsetin 3-O-hexoside isomer, kaempferol 3-O-glucoside, quercetin 3-O-glucoside, ferulic acid, caffeoylferuloylquinic acid isomer, isorhamnetin 3-O-glucoside, diosmetin 7-O-glucoside, luteolin 7-O-glucoside, diferuloylquinic acid, quercetin, dicaffeoylferuloylquinic acid isomer, 3-O-methylquercetagetin, luteolin, 8-methoxykaempferol, 3,5-dimethoxyquercetagetin, caffeoyldiferuloyl quinic acid, kaempferol, 3,5-dihydroxy-6,7,4′-trimethoxyflavone, and 3,5-dihydroxy-6,7,3′,4′-tetramethoxyflavone	In vitro	Polyphenols present in A. annua inhibit adhesion of cancer cells to endothelial cells and inhibit epithelial–mesenchymal transition.	[123]
		nt	Herb	Sesquiterpenoid lactone	Artemisinin	In vivo	Regression of prostate cancer in a patient treated (at dose 5 mg/day) with capsules containing a concentrate with A. annua and bicalutamide.	[199]
		Methanol	Leaves	nt	nt	In vitro	Methanolic extract from A. annua leaves collected in Egypt showed significant cytotoxic activity against MCF-7 human breast adenocarcinoma cell line, human lung cancer cell line, and Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell line.	[201]
	A. vulgaris	Methanol	Aerial part	nt	nt	In vitro	Inhibition of tumor cell growth in cancer cell lines: MCF-7 (IC50 = 190 ng/mL), HeLa (IC50 = 284 ng/mL), A7R5 (IC50 = 382 ng/mL), 293T (IC50 = 317 ng/mL), and SW-480 (IC50 = 778 ng/mL).	[210,211,212]
Analgesic activity	A. absinthium	Methanolic	Herb	nt	nt	In vivo (mice)	Reduction in temperature-induced pain in mice at doses of 300 mg/kg, 500 mg/kg or 1000 mg/kg.	[191]
		Essential oil/Aqueous	Aerial part	nt	nt	In vivo (mice)	Reduction in episodes in the writhing test and delay in pain response in the hot plate test in mice after the administration of A. absinthium essential oil (at doses of 2, 4, or 8 mg/kg) or aqueous extract (50, 100, or 200 mg/kg).	[122]
	A. annua	Essential oil	Herb	Monoterpenoids	Camphor, 1,8-cineol, and α-pinene	In vivo (mice)	Administration of essential oil (at dose 400 mg/kg) from A. annua herb, camphor, 1,8-cineol, and α-pinene in mice reduces (57%) writhing episodes caused by acetic acid.	[93]
	A. vulgaris	Hydro-ethanol	Aerial part	Flavonoids, phenolic acids	Rutoside, hydroxybenzoic acid derivatives, and caffeic acid and its derivatives.	In vivo (mice)	Mild peripheral antinociceptive effect of extract (at dose 100 and 250 mg/kg).	[142]
Inhibiting the activity of carbonic anhydrase I and II	A. dracunculus	Dichloromethane	Herb	Phenylpropanoid derivatives, sterols, coumarin	trans-Anethole, stigmasterol, herniarin, (2E,4E)-N-isobutylundeca-2,4-diene-8,10-diynamide, (2E,4E)-1-(piperidin-1-yl)undeca-2,4-diene-8,10-diyn-1-one and 1-(4’-methoxyphenyl)-1,2,3-trihydroxypropane	In vitro	Compounds present in herbal extracts reduce the activity of carbonic anhydrase I (hCA I) and II (hCA II) (IC50 = 0.02 μg/mL for hCA I, and IC50 = 0.31 μg/mL for hCA II).	[216]
Neuroprotective activity	A. absinthium	Methanol	Aerial part	nt	nt	In vivo (rats)	Methanolic extract (at dose 100 and 200 mg/kg) from A. absinthium, because of its antioxidant potential, reduces brain damage, inhibits lipid peroxidation, and restores the activity of enzymes involved in reducing oxidative stress.	[14]
		Aqueous	Herb	nt	nt	In vivo (rats)	Protective effect of A. absinthium aqueous extract (at dose 200 mg/L) on glial cells and the dopaminergic system when exposed to lead.	[15]
			Herb	Sesquiterpenoid dimer	Caruifolin D	In vitro (BV2 microglial cells)	Caruifolin D in Absinthii herba inhibits the production of proinflammatory microglia mediators and reactive oxygen species and also inhibits protein C kinase and stress-activated kinases.	[130]
Antidepressant activity	A. absinthium	Methanol	Aerial part	nt	nt	In vivo (mice)	Shortening of the period of mouse immobility in the forced swim test (at dose 1000 mg/kg) and in the tail suspension test (at dose 500 mg/kg).	[16]
	A. dracunculus	Ethanol	Herb	nt	nt	In vivo (mice)	Increased resistance to stressful situations and reduction in stress-related levels of inflammatory cytokines.	[206]
		Ethanol	Herb	Phenolic acids, flavonoids	Chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid or luteolin and quercetin	In vivo (mice)	Phenolic compounds and flavonoids contained in the A. dracunculus herb extract (at dose dose of 200 mg/kg) reduce the immobility response time in mice in the writhing test and in the forced swim test.	[114]
		Ethanol	Herb	Coumarins	Herniarin, skimmin c	In vitro	Mild inhibition of hMAO-A (human monoamine oxidase A) and hMAO-B (human monoamine oxidase B) by extracts of A. dracunculus and compounds. Herniarin and skimmin c showed the inhibitory effects against hMAO A (IC50 = 51.76 and 73.47 μM, respectively) and hMAO B (IC50 = 0.84 and 1.63 mM, respectively).	[112]
Procognitive activity	A. absinthium	Ethanol	Aerial part	nt	nt	In vitro (human cortical brain cells)	Extract in concentration 29 mg/mL had affinity for human muscarinic (99.8%) and nicotinic receptors (99.8%) responsible for cognitive functions.	[38]
Neurotrophic activity	A. absinthium	Methanol, ethanol and aqueous	Aerial part	nt	nt	In vitro (PC12D cells (cell line of rat pheochromocytoma tumor)	Methanolic, ethanolic, and aqueous extracts from A. absinthium induce the nerve growth factor, which stimulates development of neurites.	[217]
Nephroprotective activity	A. annua	Essential oil	Aerial part	nt	nt	In vivo (rats)	Administration of A. annua essential oil to rats exposed to carbon tetrachloride prevents kidney damage.	[93]
Stabilizing cell membrane activity	A. absinthium	Hydroalcoholic	Aerial part	nt	nt	In vitro	Hydroalcoholic extract from A. absinthium prevents hemolysis of erythrocytes.	[218]
Auxiliary action in obesity treatment	A. annua	Essential oil	Aerial part	nt	nt	In vitro	Reduction in fat droplet accumulation and inhibition of PPARγ (peroxisome proliferator- activated receptor gamma), C/EBPα (CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein), SREBP-1c (Sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1), FAS, and ACC (Acetyl-CoA carboxylase) protein expression under the influence of A. annua essential oil.	[202]
		Hydro-ethanol	Leaves	nt	nt	In vivo (mice)	Reduction in insulin resistance, liver steatosis, and fibrosis. Lowering the levels of SREBP-1c, ChREBP (carbohydrate-responsive element-binding protein), and COX-2 (cyclooxygenase-2). Inhibition of TGF-β1 and connective tissue growth factor.	[203]
Hypoglycemic activity	A. dracunculus	Ethanol	Herb	nt	nt	In vivo	Encapsulated ethanolic extract of A. dracunculus (at dose 1000 mg for 90 days) decrease in glycated hemoglobin (5.8% in the control group, 5.6% in the test group), area under the curve for insulin (56.136 to 27.426 pmol/L in the control group, 44.472 to 23.370 pmol/L in the test group), total insulin secretion (0.45 to 0.23 in the control group, 0.35 to 0.18 in the test group), and systolic blood pressure (120 mm Hg in the control group, 113 mmHg in the test group), and increase in HDL-C.	[207]
Hypolipemic activity	A. vulgaris	Aqueous	Root	nt	nt	In vivo (rat)	Normalized serum lipid profile, a significant increase in paraoxonase-1 activity, and decrease in serum malondialdehyde, nitric oxide, and tumor necrosis factor-α levels and in hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA reductase activity. Lowering total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL (low-density lipoprotein), and VLDL (very low density lipoprotein), and increasing HDL (high density lipoprotein) and atherogenicity indicator (aqueous extract of A. vulgaris roots).	[213,214]
Antihypertensive activity	A. vulgaris	Aqueous and chloroform	Aerial part	nt	nt	In vivo (rats)	A 10% solution of the aqueous extract inhibiting the hypertensive effect of noradrenaline.	[215]
Bronchodilatory activity	A. vulgaris	Methanol	Aerial part	Alkaloids, coumarins, flavonoids, saponins, sterols, tannins, and terpenoids	nt	In vivo (rabbit jejunum and guinea pig trachea)	Anticholinergic and Ca2+ antagonist mechanisms. Histamine H1 antagonism in the ileum and trachea.	[138,208]
Normalizing the profile of thyroid hormones	A. dracunculus	Aqueous	Herb	nt	nt	In vivo (rats)	Extract (at dose 300 mg/kg) caused increase in thyroxine and triiodothyronine levels, decrease in thyrotropin levels, increase in total antioxidant capacity, increase in glutathione, and decrease in malondialdehyde levels.	[22]
Estrogenic activity	A. vulgaris	Ethyl acetate	Aerial part	Flavonoids	Eriodictyol and apigenin	In vivo (rats)	Antagonism toward the estrogen receptor and activation of gene transcription. Induction of gene transcription by eriodictyol and apigenin. Anti-implantation activity and estrogenic activity on female Wistar rats.	[23,24]
Insect repellent activity	A. abrotanum	Toluene extract	Herb	Monoterpenoids, coumarins, phenolic acids	Camphor, coumarin and thujyl alcohol, chlorogenic acid and caffeic acid	In vivo	Toluene extract from the herb A. abrotanum and the individual components of the extract showed an insect repellent effect against Ixodes ricinus and Aedes aegypti. After 4 and 8 h from the time of applying the ethanolic suspension of the toluene extract from the herb A. abrotanum, the recorded repellency rates were, respectively, 69.1% and 56.8% against Ixodes ricinus, and 100% and 86.7% against Aedes aegypti.	[116]
	A. dracunculus	Essential oil	Herb	nt	nt	In vitro	Inhibition of Calliphora vomitoria egg laying on fresh beef, on which the essential oil of A. dracunculus herb (at dose 0.05 μL/cm2) was applied.	[96]
		Essential oil	Herb	nt	nt	In vitro	Larvacidal effect against Anopheles stephensi under the influence of nanoemulsion of A. dracunculus essential oil (consisting of 0.35% tarragon oil, 10% of Tween 20 and deionized water).	[102]
Anti-animal parasites activity	A. abrotanum						Reduction in the number of eggs of Hymenolepis nana (dwarf tapeworm), Syphacia obvelata, and Aspiculuris tetraptera (rodent pinworms) in the feces of mice after administration of ethanolic extract from A. abrotanum leaves.	[192]
	A. annua	Water, 0.1% sodium bicarbonate solution, dichloromethane, and methanol	Leaves	Sesquiterpenoid lactones	Artemisinin	In vivo	Extracts from A. annua leaves inhibit the growth of larvae and the hatching of eggs of Haemnochus contortus (parasite of sheep and goats).	[118]
Antiplasmodial activity	A. abrotanum	Ethanol/water (1/1)	Leaves	nt	nt	In vitro/Hemolysis assay	Notable antiprotozoal activity against P. falciparum under the influence of A. abrotanum-AgNPs in concentration ranging from 0.6 to 7.5 µg/mL. The inhibition dependent on concentration was 50%, 90%, and 99%.	[219]
Antimalarial activity	A. annua	Methanol	Herb	nt	nt	In vivo	Improvement in malaria symptoms after treating patients with infusion of A. annua herb. Inactivation of protozoan calcium pump.	[193]
		Hydro-ethanol and aqueous	Leaves	nt	nt	In vivo	Lethal activity of hydroethanolic and aqueous extracts from A. annua leaves (at dose 20 mg/kg) against P. falciparum and P. berghei.	[194]
		nt	Herb	Sesquiterpenoid lactones	Artemisinin	In vitro	Interference of artemisinin with protein metabolism and mitochondrial activity of Plasmodium spp. protozoa.	[195]
		nt	Leaves	Sesquiterpenoid lactones	Artemisinin	In vitro	Synergism of action of artemisinin and other compounds present in A. annua leaves against P. falciparum.	[131]
	A. vulgaris	Ethanol	Leaves	nt	nt	In vitro	Activity against Plasmodium yoelii and P. berghei. The extract at doses of 500, 750, and 1000 mg/kg significantly inhibited parasitemia by 79.3%, 79.6%, and 87.3%, respectively.	[220,221]

* nt—not tested.