Artemisinin: current state and perspectives for biotechnological production of an antimalarial drug

Abstract

Artemisinin isolated from the aerial parts of Artemisia annua L. is a promising and potent antimalarial drug which has a remarkable activity against chloroquine-resistant and chloroquine-sensitive strains of Plasmodium falciparum, and is useful in treatment of cerebral malaria. Because the low content (0.01-1 %) of artemisinin in A. annua is a limitation to the commercial production of the drug, many research groups have been focusing their researches on enhancing the production of artemisinin in tissue culture or in the whole plant of A. annua. This review mainly focuses on the progresses made in the production of artemisinin from A. annua by biotechnological strategies including in vitro tissue culture, metabolic regulation of artemisinin biosynthesis, genetic engineering, and bioreactor technology.

Biotransformation of Artemisinin Mediated through Fungal Strains for Obtaining Derivatives with Novel Activities

“…Artemisinin, a sesquiterpene lactone isolated from the aerial parts of Artemisia annua (Family: Asteraceae) is a potent therapeutic agent combating multidrug resistant Plasmodium falciparum strains and chloroquine-resistant parasites [1,2]. The metabolism, chemical transformation, thermal rearrangement and decomposition studies of artemisinin were well established [3,4].…”

Premières bases moléculaires des médecines ayurvédique et chinoise traditionnelle

“…Cinq exemples sont donnés, inégalement développés. L'artémisine, dont l'extraction d'un arbrisseau (Artemisa annua) est documentée en Chine depuis des millénaires, a été isolée en 2006 [3]. Sa structure polycyclique complexe serait modifiée par Fe 2+ , abondant dans l'environnement cellulaire du Plasmodium, entraînant une internalisation des radicaux libres.…”

The rise to prominence of Artemisia annual the transformation of a Chinese plant to a global pharmaceutical

“…Another prerequisite to transform the Artemisia plant was the development of a genetic variation as it is recognised that artemisinin content is affected by geographic and seasonal variations, growing conditions and plant breeding (Hirt, 2001;Laughin et al, 2002;Liu et al, 2006). For this reason, the science of agricultural cultivation of Artemisia to maximise artemisinin yields became well-developed.…”