Assessment of artemisinin and antioxidant activities of three wild Artemisia species of Algeria

Artemisinin, a natural product, has received considerable attention in the last few years as a potent antimalarial drug.This study reports the presence of Artemisinin in three Algerian wild Artemisia species assessed by HPLC method: A. herba-alba (AH), A. campestris subsp. glutinosa (AC), and A. judaica subsp sahariensis (AJ).The HPLC analysis of the hexane extracts, showed a difference in artemisinin content in studied species with a yield of 0.64%, 0.34% and 0.04% for AC, AH and AJ, respectively. Moreover, the level of artemisinin obtained in A. campestris was better than those found in A. sieberi and A. annua. This rate has been reported for the first time.Furthermore, the antiradical activities of methanolic extracts of plants were also tested. There was a remarkable antioxidant capacity found in all Artemisia methanolic extracts analysed.