title: Updates on artemisinin: an insight to mode of actions and strategies for enhanced global production.
abstract: Application of traditional Chinese drug, artemisinin, originally derived from Artemisia annua L., in malaria therapy has now been globally accepted. Artemisinin and its derivatives, with their established safety records, form the first line of malaria treatment via artemisinin combination therapies (ACTs). In addition to its antimalarial effects, artemisinin has recently been evaluated in terms of its antitumour, antibacterial, antiviral, antileishmanial, antischistosomiatic, herbicidal and other properties. However, low levels of artemisinin in plants have emerged various conventional, transgenic and nontransgenic approaches for enhanced production of the drug. According to WHO (2014), approximately 3.2 billion people are at risk of this disease. However, unfortunately, artemisinin availability is still facing its short supply. To fulfil artemisinin's global demand, no single method alone is reliable, and there is a need to collectively use conventional and advanced approaches for its higher production. Further, it is the unique structure of artemisinin that makes it a potential drug not only against malaria but to other diseases as well. Execution of its action through multiple mechanisms is probably the reason behind its wide spectrum of action. Unfortunately, due to clues for developing artemisinin resistance in malaria parasites, it has become desirable to explore all possible modes of action of artemisinin so that new generation antimalarial drugs can be developed in future. The present review provides a comprehensive updates on artemisinin modes of action and strategies for enhanced artemisinin production at global level.
authors: Laboratory of Morphogenesis, Department of Botany, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India.
authors: Neha
authors: N
authors: Pandey
authors: Laboratory of Morphogenesis, Department of Botany, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India. shashi.bhubotany@gmail.com.
authors: Shashi
authors: S
authors: Pandey-Rai
mesh_terms: D000962:Antimalarials / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D037621:Artemisinins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D053898:Biosynthetic Pathways / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D004351:Drug Resistance / Q000187:drug effects; D008954:Models, Biological
chemical_list: D000962:Antimalarials; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D037621:Artemisinins
keywords: Artemisia annua L; Artemisinin; Cancer; Malaria; Mode of action; Yield enhancement