Studies on Extraction of Artemisinin from Artemisia Annua

Malaria is a major disease in many countries. The rapid development of drug-resistant Malaria parasite strains leaves the need for new effective antimalarial drugs. The antimalarial artemisinin, the active principle of the plant Artemisia annua was extracted by using solvents hexane and ethyl acetate. Soxhlet extractor was used for the extraction process. The artemisinin extraction can be enhanced by adding of non-polar modifier such as ethanol. Artemisia annua as a source of essential oils used in the beverages industry and also as a source of artemisinin, a potent antimalarial drug. The influence of operating parameters on the artemisinin extraction process was studied in the laboratories. Then the raw extract can be sent for decantation, filtered and dried.

Traditionally the majority of Artemisia annua grown worldwide is processed through solvent extraction, using hexane and petroleum ether. The only other considered alternative has been soxhlet extraction. Whilst petroleum ether and hexane are cheap to buy, both solvents represent a considerable safety hazard and could be harmful to the environment. The lack of accurate data on hexane extraction, together with the emergence of new technologies, makes it difficult for new and existing Artemisia producers to assess the efficiency, financial viability, safety and environmental impacts of the individual processes, and thereby select the process which is best for their application. The main objectives of this study have therefore been to highlight and examine the technologies which could be used for the extraction of artemisinin and to develop a benchmarking procedure through which these new technologies can be compared to existing extraction methods.