Fast and reliable artemisinin determination from different Artemisia annua leaves based alimentary products by high performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry

Abstract

In many tropical countries malaria is endemic, causing acute illness and killing people, especially children. The availability of recommended malaria medicines is scant, even though these medicines are based on artemisinin, a compound extracted from the Artemisia annua plant that grows in many of these countries. New sources of treatment drawn from traditional medicine are therefore used, such as the tea infusion. An analytical method based on high-performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC–MS/MS) was developed to quantify the artemisinin content of foods prepared with Artemisia annua leaves. A fast and reliable analytical method is described. The technique does not require any derivatisation prior to injection and offers excellent analytical intermediate precision. Robust qualitative and quantitative results were obtained using tea, biscuit or porridge specimens.Although further research is needed to define the potential therapeutic benefits of these alimentary formulations, the analytical method described can be employed in developing more convenient and appropriate foods for administering artemisinin to those infected with malaria.