Antimalarial activity of 2,6-dibenzylidenecyclohexanone derivatives

Malaria remains one of the deadliest infectious diseases worldwide and continues to infect hundreds of millions of individuals each year. Here we report the discovery and derivatization of a series of 2,6-dibenzylidenecyclohexanones targeting the chloroquine-sensitive 3D7 strain of Plasmodium falciparum . While the initial lead compound displayed significant toxicity in a human cell proliferation assay, we were able to identify a derivative with no detectable toxicity and sub-micromolar potency.

Automated summary

In the search for new anti-malarial drugs, this study reports the discovery of a derivative with potential efficacy against Plasmodium falciparum but without detectable toxicity.