Metabolic engineering of microbial and plant chasses to optimize artemisinin production

Abstract

Artemisinin, a sesquiterpene lactone extracted from the sweet wormwood plant ( Artemisia annua ), is a crucial component in the production of artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs), the most effective treatment for malaria. In recent years, metabolic engineering has emerged as a powerful tool to enhance the production of artemisinin, both in microbial and plant chasses. This review article provides an overview of the recent literature on the metabolic engineering strategies employed to optimize artemisinin production, highlighting breakthroughs, challenges, and future directions.