Hydroxylation of 10-Deoxoartemisinin byCunninghamella elegans

Abstract
The microbial metabolism of 10-deoxoartemisinin (1), a derivative of the antimalarial drug artemisinin, was investigated. Various strains of fungi were investigated for their ability to transform 1. Of these microorganisms, only Cunninghamella elegans was capable of transforming 1 to 5β-hydroxy-10-deoxoartemisinin (2), 4α-hydroxy-1,10-deoxoartemisinin (3), and 7β-hydroxy-10-deoxoartemisinin (4). The metabolites 2 and 4 retained an intact peroxide group and are therefore useful scaffolds for synthetic modification in the search for new antimalarial agents.