Study of Various Factors for Enhancement of Artemisinin in Artemisia Annua Hairy Roots

Abstract

Artemisinin is an alternate anti-malarial drug which is widely used in the cure of multi-drug resistant Plasmodium falciparum malaria. In this study, enhancement of artemisinin content by using several elicitors and precursors was attempted initially by using one at a time (OVAT) approach. The most potent elicitor(s) & precursor were thereafter identified by the detailed analysis of the responses with respect to biomass and bioactive compound with respect to the concentrations of different effectors. Central Composite Design (CCD) was thereafter used to identify the antagonistic or synergistic effects of high and low concentrations of different precursors and elicitors. The maximum artemisinin content obtained was 3.45 mg/g on 15d by using the elicitor methyl jasmonate (40 µg/l) and the precursors casein acid hydrolysate (50 µg/l), sodium acetate (500 µg/l). Effect of addition time of elicitors and precursors on overall optimum biomass growth and artemisinin yield and productivity was also established.