Agricultural production of artemisinin—a review

Abstract

Artemisinin (qinghaosu) is extracted from the plant Artemisia annua (qinghao). Wild stands of these plants contain between 0.01 and 0.5% (w/w), with the highest concentrations in the leaves just before flowering. A review of recent agricultural techniques to improve yields from cultivated plants is presented.

Cultivation and genetics ofArtemisia annuaL. for increased production of the antimalarial artemisinin

“…Rapid methods of artemisinin assay developed by Janick (1995b, 1996a) and the technique of appraising plantlets growing in vitro for artemisinin content (Pras et al, 1991) are all strategies by which the process of screening A. annua germplasm could be accelerated. Germplasm assessment and studies of a range of other agronomic factors which have a bearing on the successful cultivation of A. annua have been carried out in Tasmania, Australia (Laughlin, 1993(Laughlin, , 1994(Laughlin, , 1995, Brazil (Magalhães, 1994(Magalhães, , 1996, India (Singh et al, 1986(Singh et al, , 1988, Japan (Kawamoto et al, 1999), Madagascar , the Netherlands (Woerdenbag et al, 1990), Switzerland (Delabays et al, 1992(Delabays et al, , 1993Debrunner et al, 1996) and the USA Morales et al, 1993;. See Fig.…”

“…Due to the steady spread of chloroquine-resistant malaria, and the lack of affordable and efficient vaccines or alternative drugs, the search for effective, safe and affordable antimalarial drugs is one of the most pressing health priorities worldwide (Delhaes et al, 2003). Previous reviews addressing cultivation aspects of A. annua for artemisinin production have been published by Laughlin (1994), Ferreira et al (1997) and Laughlin et al (2002). This review will focus on the agricultural, environmental and manufacturing aspects of artemisinin production, on recent advances in the genetics of A. annua, world demand and available drugs.…”

Ri-gene transformation into leaf tissues of Artemisia annua L. and cultivation of hairy-root for artemisinin accumulation

“…2) The culture medium B5 [1], MS [8], LV [6] supplemented with: Kinetin (furfuryl aminopurine), BA (benzylaminopurine), IAA (β-indoleacetic acid), IBA (β-indolebutyric acid), NAA (α-naphthaleneacetic acid), 2,4D (di-chlorophenoxyacetic acid).…”

“…Artemisinin is a potent antimalarials nowadays, but artemisinin biosynthesis is still under study and low levels of naturally occurring exotic plants are extracted from Artemisia Annu L. of 0.01% -0.5% relative to dry weight and high content when flowering is just blossoming at flowering stage [1]. The artemisinin biosynthesis is difficult due to its complex structure, depending on the variety, cultivation conditions and geography.…”

Untitled

“…Phytotherapeutical and agricultural approaches [133], [134] allow: ± The cultivation of wild-type plants in fields and greenhouses. ± The breeding of high-yield cultivars.…”