Novel pyrrolobenzoxaboroles: Design, synthesis, and biological evaluation against Trypanosoma brucei

Human African trypanosomiasis is a fatal parasitic infection caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma brucei. The development of novel antitrypanosomal agents is urgently needed. Here we report the synthesis and structure-activity relationship of a new class of benzoxaboroles as antitrypanosomal agents. These compounds showed antiparasitic IC50 values ranging from 4.02 to 0.03 mu g/mL and satisfactory cytotoxicity profile. Three of the lead compounds were demonstrated to cure the parasitic infection in a murine acute infection model. The structure activity relationship of the pyrrolobenzoxaboroles are also discussed. (C) 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.