Comparison of artemisinin content and antioxidant activity from various organs of Artemisia species

Abstract

One objective of this study was to compare the antioxidant activity from various organs of Artemisia species and identify new organs of Artemisia species with antioxidant activity. The various organs of the Artemisia species were analyzed using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2′-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) assays, which are widely used for evaluating antioxidant activity. A. annua, A. montana, A. stolonifera and A. gmelinii found to have strong antioxidant activity. These findings reinforce the potential of plants as valuable antioxidant sources. A second objective of this study was to compare the artemisinin content from various organs of Artemisia species and identify that a new organ of Artemisia species with high artemisinin content. Artemisinin is one of the most important phytochemicals found in the Artemisia species, and has been used for the treatment of malaria all over the world. Using high-performance liquid chromatography, we analyzed the artemisinin content from various organs of the Artemisia species. The roots of A. absinthium and A. rubripes howed high contents of artemisinin. This, roots of A. absinthium and A. rubripes are suggested as alternatives to A. annua as medicinal sources of artemisinin.