Introduction of artemisinin

A colorless needle-like crystal extracted from the compound inflorescence plant Artemisia annua is called (3r, 5as, 6r, 8as, 9r, 12s, 12ar)- octahydro-3,6,9-trimethyl-3,65433. The molecular formula is C 15H22O5. It is the most effective antimalarial specific drug after ethirimide, chloroquine and primaquine, especially suitable for cerebral malaria and chloroquine malaria. With the characteristics of quick response and low toxicity, it was once called "the only effective malaria treatment drug in the world" by the World Health Organization. The mechanism of antimalarial action mainly lies in the activation of artemisinin to produce free radicals during the treatment of malaria. Free radicals combine with plasmodium protein and act on the membrane structure of plasmodium, so that its vesicle membrane, nuclear membrane and plasma membrane are destroyed, mitochondria swell and inner and outer membranes fall off, thus destroying the cell structure and function of plasmodium. According to WHO statistics, since 2000, about 240 million people in sub-Saharan Africa have benefited from artemisinin combination therapy, and about 654.38 million+500,000 people have avoided the death caused by malaria. Therefore, many Africans call it "the medicine of the East".