Issue 3, 2015

Synthetic chemistry fuels interdisciplinary approaches to the production of artemisinin

Abstract

Covering: up to 2014

In the developing world, multi-drug resistant malaria caused by the parasite Plasmodium falciparum is an epidemic that claims the lives of 1–3 million people per year. Artemisinin, a naturally occurring small molecule that has seen little resistance from malarial parasites, is a valuable weapon in the fight against this disease. Several easily accessible artemisinin derivatives, including artesunate and artemether, display potent antimalarial activity against drug-resistant malaria strains; however, the global supply of artemisinin from natural sources alone remains highly inconsistent and unreliable. As a result, several approaches to artemisinin production have been developed, spanning areas such as total synthesis, flow chemistry, synthetic biology, and semi-synthesis. This review highlights achievements in all areas, in addition to the interplay between synthetic biology and synthetic chemistry that has fueled the recent industrial-scale production of artemisinin.

Graphical abstract: Synthetic chemistry fuels interdisciplinary approaches to the production of artemisinin

Associated articles

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Highlight
Submitted
23 Aug 2014
First published
24 Oct 2014

Nat. Prod. Rep., 2015,32, 359-366

Synthetic chemistry fuels interdisciplinary approaches to the production of artemisinin

M. A. Corsello and N. K. Garg, Nat. Prod. Rep., 2015, 32, 359 DOI: 10.1039/C4NP00113C

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