Discovery of Marinoquinolines as Potent and Fast-Acting Plasmodium falciparum Inhibitors with in Vivo Activity

J Med Chem. 2018 Jul 12;61(13):5547-5568. doi: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.8b00143. Epub 2018 Jun 25.

Abstract

We report the discovery of marinoquinoline (3 H-pyrrolo[2,3- c]quinoline) derivatives as new chemotypes with antiplasmodial activity. We evaluated their inhibitory activities against P. falciparum and conducted a structure-activity relationship study, focusing on improving their potency and maintaining low cytotoxicity. Next, we devised quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) models, which we prospectively validated, to discover new analogues with enhanced potency. The most potent compound, 50 (IC503d7 = 39 nM; IC50K1 = 41 nM), is a fast-acting inhibitor with dual-stage (blood and liver) activity. The compound showed considerable selectivity (SI > 6410), an additive effect when administered in combination with artesunate, excellent tolerability in mice (all mice survived after an oral treatment with a 1000 mg/kg dose), and oral efficacy at 50 mg/kg in a mouse model of P. berghei malaria (62% reduction in parasitemia on day 5 postinfection); thus, compound 50 was considered a lead compound for the discovery of new antimalarial agents.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antimalarials / chemistry*
  • Antimalarials / pharmacology*
  • Drug Design*
  • Mice
  • Models, Molecular
  • Molecular Conformation
  • Plasmodium falciparum / drug effects*
  • Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship
  • Quinolines / chemistry*
  • Quinolines / pharmacology*

Substances

  • Antimalarials
  • Quinolines
  • quinoline