INFLUENCE OF SYMBIOTIC FUNGI ON ARTEMISIA ANNUA L.-A MEDICINAL PLANT
Monika Gupta*, Monika Arora and Ajit Varma
ABSTRACT
Importance: Artemisinin is a potent antimalarial natural compound, obtained from the aerial portion of the plant - Artemisia annua L. The demand for artemisinin is exponentially increasing due to enhanced incidence of drug resistant malaria. However, the low yield of this anti-malarial drug is a major constraint in the commercialization. Several methods have been used since long but have not been found attainable on large scale. Hence outsized farming of A. annua is the only solution for the production of Artemisinin. Observation: A significant increase in artemisinin, an active compound in plant, used as anti-malarial drug under combination therapies recommended by WHO for treating multidrug resistance in malaria, has been achieved on inoculation with Piriformospora indica (Serendipita indica) and Azotobacter chroococcum in combination. The quantity of artemisinin was significantly higher (2.4 fold higher) on dual inoculation as compared to control. Conclusion and Relevance: The greenhouse and field trials have led enhanced plant growth and artemisinin content. At moment it is not clear the mechanism by which the artemisinin content is increased. The understanding of the mechanism will promise to help further enhancement artemisinin content. Past few years, efforts have been made to co-culture plant with symbiotic mycorrhizal fungi and azotroph. Results indicated a positive impact.
Keywords: Artemisinin, P. indica, A. chroococcum, A. Annua.
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