Pyrazoline derivatives as promising novel antischistosomal agents

Praziquantel is the only available drug to treat schistosomiasis, a parasitic disease that currently infects more than 240 million people globally. Due to increasing concerns about resistance and inadequate efficacy there is a need for new therapeutics. In this study, a series of 17 pyrazolines (15-31) and three pyrazoles (32-34) were synthesized and evaluated for their antiparasitic properties against ex vivo adult Schistosoma mansoni worms. Of the 20 compounds tested, six had a 50% effective concentration (EC50) below 30 mu M. Our best hit, pyrazoline 22, showed promising activity against adult schistosomes, with an EC50 < 10 mu M. Additionally, compound 22 had low cytotoxicity, with selectivity index of 21.6 and 32.2 for monkey and human cell lines, respectively. All active pyrazolines demonstrated a negative effect on schistosome fecundity, with a marked reduction in the number of eggs. Structure-activity relationship analysis showed that the presence of the non-aromatic heterocycle and N-substitution are fundamental to the antischistosomal properties. Pharmacokinetics, drug-likeness and medicinal chemistry friendliness studies were performed, and predicted values demonstrated an excellent drug-likeness profile for pyrazolines as well as an adherence to major pharmaceutical companies' filters. Collectively, this study demonstrates that pyrazoline derivatives are promising scaffolds in the discovery of novel antischistosomal agents.

Automated summary

Praziquantel is currently the only drug available to treat schistosomiasis, a parasitic disease affecting more than 240 million people worldwide. However, due to concerns about resistance and efficacy, new therapeutics are needed. In this study, a series of pyrazolines and pyrazoles were synthesized and evaluated for their antiparasitic properties, with some compounds showing promising activity against adult schistosomes. Further analysis revealed that these active compounds had a negative impact on schistosome fecundity.