Artemisinin: A potent antimalarial drug

Title

Artemisinin: A potent antimalarial drug

Creator

Malaviya A.; Malhotra K.; Agarwal A.; Saikia K.

Description

Artemisinin is known to be a potent antimalarial drug which is naturally obtained from the plant Artemisia annua L. Malaria is a global health problem with nearly 1.2 billion people at high risk. In 2001, WHO recognised artemisinin based combination therapies (ACTs), as the frontline drugs to fight against malaria and therefore, artemisinin is the most effective anti-malarial drug. It appears to be a safe drug with no adverse reactions or noticeable side effects, even for pregnant women. However, access to ACTs by malarial patients, especially in poor countries, is inadequate due to high volatility in price, unpredictable demand and low yield from A. annua. The huge gap in demand and supply has motivated researchers to explore artemisinin production in alternative systems like bacteria, yeast and tobacco. Scientists have been successful in producing this wonder molecule in heterologous hosts. Challenges associated with large-scale production and drug resistance against artemisinin has also been discussed to present a comprehensive picture of artemisnin production, application and limitations. 2019 Scrivener Publishing LLC. All rights reserved.

Source

High Value Fermentation Products, Volume 1: Human Health, pp. 347-364.

Date

2019-01-01

Publisher

Scrivener Publishing LLC

Subject

Artemisia annua; Artemisinin; Malaria; Terpenoid

Coverage

Malaviya A., Department of Chemistry, CHRIST (Deemed To Be University), Hosur Road, Bengaluru, India; Malhotra K., National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, GKVK Campus, Bellary Road, Bengaluru, India; Agarwal A., Department of Chemistry, CHRIST (Deemed To Be University), Hosur Road, Bengaluru, India; Saikia K., Department of Life Sciences, CHRIST (Deemed To Be University), Hosur Road, Bengaluru, India

Rights

Restricted Access

Relation

ISBN: 978-111946005-3; 978-111946001-5

Format

Online

Language

English

Type

Book chapter

Identifier

https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85130249474&partnerID=40&md5=330fc7740aa91d6e47d4f90d1c8e3146