2018/05/03 by Johannes Krieger, Toni Smeilus, Marcel Kaiser +3 · 1 citation
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Chemistry · Computer Science · Medicine · #Artemisinin #Biochemistry #Biology #Catalysis #Chemistry #Combinatorial chemistry #Computational Drug Discovery Methods #Immunology #Malaria #Malaria Research and Control #Plant biochemistry and biosynthesis #Plasmodium falciparum #Stereospecificity
paper · doi:10.1002/anie.201802015
openalex publication_date 2018/05/03 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/25
Here, we describe an efficient and diversity-oriented entry to both (-)-artemisinin (1) and its natural antipode (+)-artemisinin, starting from commercially and readily available S-(+)- and R-(-)-citronellene, respectively. Subsequently, we answered the still open question regarding the specificity of artemisinins action. By using a drug-sensitive Plasmodium falciparum NF54 strain, we showed that the antimalarial activity of artemisinin is not stereospecific. Our straightforward and biomimetic approach to this natural endoperoxide enables the synthesis of artemisinin derivatives that are not accessible through applying current methods and may help to address the problem of emerging resistance of Plasmodium falciparum towards artemisinin.