biostudies-literatureUnknown23(4)Gruber LTwo major obstacles for successful cancer treatment are the toxicity of cytostatics and the development of drug resistance in cancer cells during chemotherapy. Acquired or intrinsic drug resistance is responsible for almost 90% of treatment failure. For this reason, there is an urgent need for new anticancer drugs with improved efficacy against cancer cells, and with less toxicity on normal cells. There are impressive examples demonstrating the success of natural plant compounds to fight cancer, such as <i>Vinca</i> alkaloids, taxanes, and anthracyclines. Artesunic acid (ARTA), a drug for malaria treatment, also exerts cytotoxic activity towards cancer cells. Multidrug resistance often results from drug efflux pumps (ABC-transporters) that reduce intracellular drug levels. Hence, it would Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)E841https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC6017613biostudies-literatureTreatment of Multidrug-Resistant Leukemia Cells by Novel Artemisinin-, Egonol-, and Thymoquinone-Derived Hybrid Compounds.PMC6017613Klein VAbdelfatah SFrohlich TTsogoeva SBEfferth TGruber LReiter CfalseTreatment of Multidrug-Resistant Leukemia Cells by Novel Artemisinin-, Egonol-, and Thymoquinone-Derived Hybrid Compounds.Two major obstacles for successful cancer treatment are the toxicity of cytostatics and the development of drug resistance in cancer cells during chemotherapy. Acquired or intrinsic drug resistance is responsible for almost 90% of treatment failure. For this reason, there is an urgent need for new anticancer drugs with improved efficacy against cancer cells, and with less toxicity on normal cells. There are impressive examples demonstrating the success of natural plant compounds to fight cancer, such as <i>Vinca</i> alkaloids, taxanes, and anthracyclines. Artesunic acid (ARTA), a drug for malaria treatment, also exerts cytotoxic activity towards cancer cells. Multidrug resistance often results from drug efflux pumps (ABC-transporters) that reduce intracellular drug levels. Hence, it would 2018-01-01T00:00:00Z2018 Apr2026-05-04T20:58:12.452Z2019-03-27T00:07:04ZS-EPMC60176132964241910.3390/molecules23040841