Improvement on the situation of regeneration of medicinal plant Artemisia annua L.

Artemisia annua is an aromatic annual plant which has artemisinin, an antimalarial drug, was used as treatment for fever. Its derivatives have selective toxicity toward human breast cancer cells. This plant is widely dispersed throughout the temperate regions. The yield of artemisinin in this plant is low and chemosynthesis and conventional breeding methods have not been successful. For artemisinin production, in recent years, there are more progresses in molecular regulation of artemisinin biosynthesis via transferring genes of key enzymes involved in biosynthesis of artemisinin or inhibit the enzymes involved in other pathways competing for its precursors. Tissue culture and regeneration of are prerequisites for transformation. We successeded in regenerating this plant using different combination of hormones including 2,4-D, BAP, NAA, IAA and Kinetin. The highest regeneration frequency of shoot induction was obtained using 2 mg/l BAP, 0.5 mg/l NAA and 2 mg/l BAP, 1 mg/l IAA. After several subcultures of the leaf explants, callus induction was obtained. These calli were transferred to free hormone MS medium for shoot induction. For root induction, the induced shoots were transferred to MS medium supplemented by 0.05 mg/l NAA for one week.