Isolation and Identification of Dihydroartemisinic Acid from Artemisia annua and Its Possible Role in the Biosynthesis of Artemisinin

Dihydroartemisinic acid (2) was isolated as a natural product from Artemisia annua in a 66% yield, and its structure was confirmed by 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy. Compound 2 could be chemically converted to artemisinin (4) under conditions that may also be present in the living plant. The results suggest that the conversion of 2 into 4 in the living plant might be a nonenzymatic conversion.