Download PDF
Planta Med 2012; 78(10): 1024-1026
DOI: 10.1055/s-0032-1314949
Natural Product Chemistry
Letters
Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

The Flavonoids Casticin and Artemetin Are Poorly Extracted and Are Unstable in an Artemisia annua Tea Infusion

Pamela J. Weathers
1   Department Biology and Biotechnology, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA, USA
,
Melissa J. Towler
1   Department Biology and Biotechnology, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA, USA
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

received 27 January 2012
revised 15 May 2012

accepted 16 May 2012

Publication Date:
06 June 2012 (online)

Also available at
    Permissions and Reprints

Abstract

A number of flavonoids including casticin and artemetin from Artemisia annua have shown synergism with artemisinin against Plasmodium falciparum, but it is unclear if the flavonoids are also extracted into a tea infusion of the plant. Using a tea infusion preparation protocol that was reported to be highly effective for artemisinin extraction, we measured casticin and artemetin extraction. There was only a 1.8 % recovery of casticin in the infusion while artemetin was undetectable. After 24 hr storage at room temperature, casticin yield declined by 40 %. These results show that although a tea infusion of the plant may extract artemisinin, the polymethoxylated flavonoids casticin and artemetin are poorly extracted and lost with storage at room temperature and thus, the tea infusion appears to lose synergistic value.

Key words

casticin - artemisinin - malaria - stability - tea infusion - Artemisia annua - Asteraceae - Compositae
 

  • References

  • 1 Hsu E. The history of qinghao in the Chinese material medica. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg 2006; 100: 505-508
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 2 de Ridder S, van der Kooy F, Verpoorte R. Artemisia annua as a self-treatment for malaria in developing countries. J Ethnopharmacol 2008; 120: 302-314
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 3 Efferth T. Artemisinin: a versatile weapon from traditional Chinese medicine. Herbal drugs: ethnomedicine to modern medicine. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag; 2009: 173-194
    CrossrefSearch in Google Scholar
  • 4 Firestone GL, Sundar SN. Anticancer activities of artemisinin and its bioactive derivatives. Expert Rev Mol Med 2009; 11: e32
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 5 Ferreira JFS, Luthria DL, Sasaki T, Heyerick A. Flavonoids from Artemisia annua L. as antioxidants and their potential synergism with artemisinin against malaria and cancer. Molecules 2010; 15: 3135-3170
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 6 Ferreira J, Peaden P, Keiser J. In vitro trematocidal effects of crude alcoholic extracts of Artemisia annua, A. absinthium, Asiminatriloba, and Fumaria officinalis . Parasitol Res 2011; 109: 1585-1592
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 7 Elford BC, Roberts MF, Phillipson D, Wilson RJM. Potentiation of the antimalarial activity of quinghaosu by methoxylated flavones. Trans R Soc Trop Med 1987; 81: 434-436
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 8 Liu KCSC, Yang S-L, Roberts MF, Elford BC, Phillipson JD. Antimalarial activity of Artemisia annua flavonoids from whole plants and cell cultures. Plant Cell Rep 1992; 11: 637-640
    PubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 9 van der Kooy F, Verpoorte R. The content of artemisinin in the Artemisia annua tea infusion. Planta Med 2011; 77: 1754-1756
    Thieme ConnectPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 10 Carbonara T, Pascale R, Argentieri MP, Papadia P, Fanizzi FP, Villanova L, Avato P. Phytochemical analysis of a herbal tea from Artemisia annua L. J Pharm Biomed Anal 2012; 62: 79-86
    Search in Google Scholar
  • 11 Weathers PJ, Arsenault PR, Covello PS, McMickle A, Teoh KH, Reed DW. Artemisinin production in Artemisia annua: studies in planta and results of a novel delivery method for treating malaria and other neglected diseases. Phytochem Rev 2011; 10: 173-183
    Search in Google Scholar