Thin layer chromatography (TLC) technique in the investigation of artemisinin production in Artemisia annua L. medicinal plant hairy roots

Artemisia annua L. is an important medicinal plant, which is used for the treatment of malaria. Artemisinin is the active secondary metabolite in this plant and it is a sesquiterpen. This plant was studied for artemisinin production in hairy root induced by Agrobacterium rhizogenes. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for rolB gene confirmed the transformed hairy roots induced by A. rhizogenes. Then, thin layer chromatography (TLC) was employed for investigating the characteristics and quality of artemisinin in extracts of hairy roots and control roots of A. annua. Result of TLC showed the presence of artemisinin in the induced hairy roots.   Key words: Artemisia annua, Agrobacterium rhizogenes, hairy root, thin layer chromatography (TLC) technique and artemisinin.