<unk>  has a low solubility in water of less than 0.1 g/L. Consequently, its use may results in side effects caused by minor, yet much more soluble, additives (excipients) such as Cremophor EL. The lactone of artemisinin could selectively be reduced with mild hydride-reducing agents, such as sodium borohydride, potassium borohydride, and lithium borohydride to<unk>  (a lactol) in over 90% yield. It is a novel reduction, because normally lactones cannot be reduced with sodium borohydride under the same reaction conditions (0–5 ˚C in methanol). Reduction with LiAlH4 leads to some rearranged products. It was surprising to find that the lactone was reduced, but that the peroxy group survived. However, the lactone of deoxyartemisinin resisted reduction with sodium borohydride and could only be reduced with diisobutylaluminium hydride to the lactol deoxydihydroartimisinin. These results show that the peroxy group assists the reduction of lactone with sodium borohydride to a lactol, but not to the alcohol which is the over-reduction product. No clear evidence for this reduction process exists.
Dihydroartemisinin
Deoxygedunin
Equilenin
Echinopsidine
Ajmalicine
Bempedoic acid
Delamanid
Chloroquine