Synthesis and Antiplasmodial Activity of Novel Chloroquine Analogues with Bulky Basic Side Chains.

Chloroquine is commonly used in the treatment and prevention of malaria, but Plasmodium falciparum, the main species responsible for malaria-related deaths, has developed resistance against this drug. Twenty-seven novel chloroquine (CQ) analogues characterized by a side chain terminated with a bulky basic head group, i.e., octahydro-2H-quinolizine and 1,2,3,4,5,6-hexahydro-1,5-methano-8H-pyrido[1,2-a][1,5]diazocin-8-one, were synthesized and tested for activity against D-10 (CQ-susceptible) and W-2 (CQ-resistant) strains of P. falciparum. Most compounds were found to be active against both strains with nanomolar or sub-micromolar IC50 values. Eleven compounds were found to be 2.7- to 13.4-fold more potent than CQ against the W-2 strain; among them, four cytisine derivatives appear to be of particular interest, as they combine high potency with low cytotoxicity against two human cell lines (HMEC-1 and HepG2) along with easier synthetic accessibility. Replacement of the 4-NH group with a sulfur bridge maintained antiplasmodial activity at a lower level, but produced an improvement in the resistance factor. These compounds warrant further investigation as potential drugs for use in the fight against malaria.

Clofazimine analogs with antileishmanial and antiplasmodial activity.

A set of novel riminophenazine derivatives has been synthesized and evaluated for in vitro activity against chloroquine-sensitive (CQ-S) and chloroquine-resistant (CQ-R) strains of Plasmodium falciparum and against different species of Leishmania promastigotes. Most of the new compounds inhibited the growth of Leishmania promastigotes as well as CQ-S and CQ-R strains of P. falciparum with IC50 in submicromolar range, resulting in the best cases 1-2 orders of magnitude more potent than the parent compound clofazimine.

Synthesis and evaluation of the antiplasmodial activity of novel indeno[2,1-c]quinoline derivatives.

With the aim to explore the potentiality of new chemical scaffolds for the design of new antimalarials, a set of new indeno[2,1-c]quinolines bearing different basic heads has been synthesized and tested in vitro against chloroquine sensitive (CQ-S) and chloroquine resistant (CQ-R) strains of Plasmodium falciparum. Most of the synthesized compounds exhibited a moderate antiplasmodial activity, inhibiting the growth of both CQ-S and CQ-R strains of P. falciparum with IC50 ranging from 0.24 to 6.9 µM and with a very low resistance index. The most potent compounds (1.2-1.3-fold the CQ on the W-2 strain) can be considered as promising 'lead compounds' to be further optimized to improve efficacy and selectivity against Plasmodia.

Synthesis and antiplasmodial activity of new heteroaryl derivatives of 7-chloro-4-aminoquinoline.

With the aim to investigate the effect of different heterocyclic rings linked to the 4-aminoquinoline nucleus on the antimalarial activity, a set of 7-chloro-N-(heteroaryl)-methyl-4-aminoquinoline and 7-chloro-N-(heteroaryl)-4-aminoquinoline was synthesized and tested in vitro against D-10 (CQ-S) and W-2 (CQ-R) strains of Plasmodium falciparum. All compounds exhibited from moderate to high antiplasmodial activities. The activity was strongly influenced both by the presence of a methylenic group, as a spacer between the 4-aminoquinoline and the heterocyclic ring, and by the presence of a basic head. The most potent molecules inhibited the growth of both CQ-S and CQ-R strains of P. falciparum with IC(50)<30 nM and were not toxic against human endothelial cells. These results confirm that the presence of an heteroaryl moiety in the side chain of 7-chloro-4-aminoquinoline is useful for the design and development of new powerful antimalarial agents.