J Nat Prod. 1993 Sep; 56(9): 1559-66.

Bioconversion of arteannuin B to artemisinin.

Nair MS, Basile DV.

Department of Biological Sciences, H.H. Lehman College of CUNY, The Bronx, New York 10468.

Arteannuin B, which co-occurs with artemisinin, the potent antimalarial principle of the Chinese medicinal herb Artemisia annua (Asteraceae), has been converted to the latter using crude and semi-purified cell-free extracts of the leaf homogenates of the plant. Detection procedures to quantitate this bioconversion, including one that is novel which uses gcms, are detailed.