CURRENT AFFAIRS

Detailed explanation-1: -Artemisinins are derived from extracts of sweet wormwood (Artemisia annua) and are well established for the treatment of malaria, including highly drug-resistant strains.

Detailed explanation-2: -Artemisinin and its derivatives belong to a family of drugs approved for the treatment of malaria with known clinical safety and efficacy. In addition to its anti-malarial effect, artemisinin displays anti-viral, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer effects in vivo and in vitro.

Detailed explanation-3: -Isolated from the plant Artemisia annua, or sweet wormwood, artemisinin and its derivatives are powerful medicines known for their ability to swiftly reduce the number of Plasmodium parasites in the blood of patients with malaria.

Detailed explanation-4: -Artemisinin (Qinghaosu), a new antimalarial drug, was discovered in China in the early 1970s. The discovery of artemisinin is attributed to You-You Tu, at that time a middle-aged phytochemist working in the Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Detailed explanation-5: -Dihydroartemisinin (also known as dihydroqinghaosu, artenimol or DHA) is a drug used to treat malaria. Dihydroartemisinin is the active metabolite of all artemisinin compounds (artemisinin, artesunate, artemether, etc.) and is also available as a drug in itself.