Quantification of artemisinin in Artemisia annua Herbal tea and test in vitro for anti-malarial activity.

A. annua was usually used to prepare a tea and if it contains effective amounts of artemisinin, it might be used today as a self-reliant treatment of malaria [1]. Artemisia annua tea has proven itself to be a very effective treatment for malaria in various clinical trials, but to date, his efficacy has not been investigated in vitro. Therefore, we have carried out a study for the evaluation of effects of A. annua tea on Plasmodium falciparum cultures in vitro. We also determined the concentration of artemisinin in herbal tea preparation. The compound was tested against chloroquine-sensitive D10 and chloroquine-resistant W2 strains of P. falciparum using the parasite lactate dehydrogenase assay [2]. The quantification of artemisinin in the extract of leaves of A. annua was obtained using an 1H NMR method. The in vitro tests conducted in this study confirm the clinical efficacy demonstrated by the tea of A. annua in vivo on both chloroquine-sensitive D10 and chloroquine-resistant W2 strains. The concentration of artemisinin in A. annua tea is lower with respect to that of pure artemisinin responsible for the same antimalarial activity. The artemisinin present in the tea is probably co-solubilised with other ingredients, some of which may also have antimalarial activity and act synergistically with it. The presence of other active ingredients suggests that A. annua is a natural artemisinin combination therapy. These compounds also merit further research, to see whether their presence hinders the development of parasite resistance compared to pure artemisinin [3]. [1] C.H.Blanke, G.B.Naisabha, M.B.Balema, G.M.Mbaruku, L.Heide and M.S.Muller, Trop. Doct., 38, 2008, 113–6. [2] M.T.Makler, J.M.Ries, J.A.Williams, J.E.Bamcroft, R.C.Piper, B.L.Gibbins, et al, Am.J.Trop.Med.Hyg., 48(6), 1993, 739-41. [3] Work supported by Regione Puglia Progetto Strategico PS70.