The publication process of the article on the chemical structure of artemisinin on <italic>Chinese Science Bulletin</italic>: A tribute to the 40th anniversary publication of “Artemisinin: A new type of sesquiterpene lactone”

Abstract

On March 1977, an article named “Artemisinin: a new type of sesquiterpene lactone” was published on the Vol.22, No.3 of Chinese Science Bulletin . The author of the article is “Coordinating Research Group for the Structure of Artemisinin”, and the date of reception is February 20th, 1976. Based on original documents, the author of this paper studies the background and progress of the publication of this important article, in which he reveals the influence on Youyou Tu’s winning 2015 Noble Prize in Physiology or Medicine. The author of this paper points out: (ⅰ) the decision of publishing the research on the structure of Artemisinin through Chinese Science Bulletin was made by Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine; Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences after negotiation, and granted by Office 523, the agency managed the Artemisia Anti-Malaria Project. (ⅱ) The purpose of publication is to “win an honor for mother country and take the advantage to publish the results prior to the overseas counterpart”, because “Yugoslavia is conducting a research on Artemisia and has reported the chemical structure of one crystal”. (ⅲ) Two measures were taken then due to confidentiality requirement. The first one was the publication was in the name of Coordinating Research Group for the Structure of Artemisinin, instead of independent agencies. The second one was the article should only deal with the chemical structure of Artemisinin, and no description of its anti-malaria effect would appear in the article. But because of objections, no catering to “the need of pharmacy speculators from capitalist countries” or “the utilitarianism of unevolved intellectuals” is allowed, of the former Minister of Health, Xiangpin Liu, the article could not be published right on time. After the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, Institute of Chinese Materia Medica applied to issue the article again, and the Ministry of Health granted publishing the article on February 25th, 1977. Since Institute of Chinese Materia Medica is not only the leading agency in the publication of the article, but also the initiator of the structural confirmation of Artemisinin and the earliest provider of Artemisinin crystals, Youyou Tu, the former director of Artemisia Anti-Malaria Project in the institute, is considered as the major contributor to the article without controversy when the institute held her as the biggest hero of the project, unless there are direct evidences indicating the institute is wrong. In all, the author of this paper concludes that the article, which is as thin as only one page and was issued on Chinese Science Bulletin , is the first article on the Artemisinin research in China, and it holds a magnificent significance to Youyou Tu’s winning Noble Prize.