Microbial and Mammalian Metabolism Studies of the Semisynthetic Antimalarial, Anhydrodihydroartemisinin

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Abstract
Microbial metabolism studies of the semisynthetic antimalarial anhydrodihydroartemisinin (1), have shown that it is metabolized by a number of microorganisms. Large scale fermentation with Streptomyces lavendulaeL-105 and Rhizopogonspecies (ATCC 36060) have resulted in the isolation of four microbial metabolites. These metabolites have been identified as a 14-carbon rearranged product (2), 9β-hydroxyanhydrodihydroartemisinin (3), 1 l-epi-deoxydihydro-artemisinin (4), and 3α-hydroxydeoxyanhydrodihydroartemisinin (5). Microbial metabolites were completely characterized by spectral methods, including 1H-NMR and 13C-NMR spectroscopy. The structure and stereochemistry of metabolite 2 were unequivocally established by X-ray crystallographic analysis. Thermospray mass spectroscopy/high-performance liquid chromatographic analyses of plasma from rats used in mammalian metabolism studies of 1 have shown microbial metabolite 3 to be the major mammalian metabolite. In vitroantimalarial testing has shown metabolite 3 to possess antimalarial activity.