PRODUCING ARTEMISININ FROM ARTEMISIA ANNUA CELL CULTURES

ARTEMISININ, AN ANTIMALARIAL DRUG ISOLATED FROM THE PLANT ARTEMISIA ANNUA, HAS UNDERGONE EXTENSIVE TESTING BECAUSE IT IS EFFECTIVE AGAINST STRAINS OF MALARIA THAT HAVE BECOME RESISTANT TO CHLOROQUINES, THE TRADITIONAL DRUGS OF CHOICE. ARTEMISININ AND ITS DERIVATIVES ARE ALSO BEING STUDIED FOR THE TREATMENT OF PARASITIC DISEASES AND DISEASES OF THE IMMUNE SYSTEM. ATTEMPTS TO DEVELOP A PROTOCOL THAT CAN BE USED FOR COMMERCIAL PRODUCTION OF THE DRUG HAVE THUS FAR FAILED BECAUSE THE PLANT PRODUCES ARTEMISININ ONLY IN MINUTE AMOUNTS. PRODUCTION OF THE COMPOUND THROUGH TRADITIONAL TISSUE CULTURE PRACTICES HAS NOT BEEN PROMISING. SYNTHESIS OF THE DRUG IS POSSIBLE BUT HAS PROVEN TO BE PROHIBITIVELY EXPENSIVE. TO OVERCOME THESE PROBLEMS, IT IS PLANNED TO INCREASE IN SITU THROUGH LEAF ORGAN CULTURES THE NUMBER OF GLANDULAR TRICHOME CELLS. THESE CELLS ARE THOUGHT TO BE DIRECTLY INVOLVED IN THE BIOSYNTHESIS OF ARTEMISININ. THE TRICHOME MOTHER CELLS FROM WHICH THE GLAND CELLS ARISE WILL BE NATURAL TARGETS FOR INDUCTION OF CELL DIVISION BY PLANT HORMONES BECAUSE THE DEVELOPMENTAL PROGRAM FOR THESE TYPES OF CELLS APPEARS TO BE TRANSMITTED THROUGH CELL LINEAGE. GLANDULAR TRICHOMES CAN THEN BE ISOLATED FROM LEAF ORGAN CULTURES AND GROWN IN LIQUID BATCH CULTURE WHERE SUBSEQUENT RESEARCH CAN OPTIMIZE ARTEMISININ PRODUCTION IN BIOREACTORS OR BY CELL CULTURE IMMOBILIZATION TECHNIQUES WITH THE OBJECTIVE OF PROVING COMMERCIAL VIABILITY.