Artemisin, production

Ouellet M, Fisher KJ, Newman KL, Ndungu JM, Ho KA, Eachus RA, Ham TS, Kirby J, Chang MCY, Withers ST, Shiba Y, Sarpong R, Keasling JD. (2006) Production of the antimalarial drug precursor artemisinic acid in engineered yeast. Nature 440 940-943. 

Ro DK, Paradise EM, Ouellet M, et ai. Production of the antimalatial drug precursor artemisinic acid in engineered yeast. Nature 440 940-943, 2006. 

In conclusion, the vast literature and its derivatives, particularly artesunate, artemether, and arteether, point out to the need to make these derivatives in quantities that would reduce their current production cost to make these drugs accessible to the economically underprivileged societies that are often the victims of malaria. A recent promising method in which artemisinic acid, a precursor to artemisinin, has been produced in engineered yeast. Therefore, microbially produced artemisinic acid holds promise to the syntheses of antimalarial drugs at affordable prices <2006N940>. Furthermore, anticancer activities of artemisinin 1 and its derivatives have been reviewed <2005MI995>. 

Jung, M. ElSohly, H. N. McCHesney, J. D. Artemisinic acid A versatile Chiral synthon and bioprecursor to natural products. Planta Medica, 1990, 56 56. 

ABSTRACT This article reviews the literature published in the last decade dealing with the transformation of a-santonin into bioactive or potentially bioactive sesquiterpenes. A number of syntheses starting from 8a-hydroxysantonin (artemisin) have also been included. Special emphasis has been placed on synthesized products that show biological activity. Major advances in this field include the application of new reagents and methodologies for the structural modification of the santonin skeleton and functionality, and its transformation into other sesquiterpenes, especially sesquiterpene lactones. 

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