Growth inhibition of plasmodium falciparum involving carbon centered iron-chelate radical (l^., x^-)-fe(III) based on pyridoxal-betaine. A novel type of antimalarials active against chloroquine-resistant parasites

Malaria parasites have been shown to be more susceptible to oxidative stress than their host erythro- cytes. In the present work, a chloroquine resistant malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum (FCR-3) was found to be susceptible in vitro to a pyridoxal based iron chelator - (l-[N-ethoxycarbonylmethyl- pyridoxlidenium]-2-[2'pyridyl] hydrazine bromide - (code named L2-9). 2h exposure to 20μM L2-9 was sufficient to irreversibly inhibit parasite growth. Desferrioxamine blocked the drug effect, indicating the requirement for iron. Oxygen however, was not essential. Spectrophotometric analysis showed that under anoxic conditions, L2-9-Fe(II) chelate undergoes an intramolecular redox reaction which presumably involves a one electron transfer and is expected to result in the formation of free radical. Spin trapping coupled to electron spin resonance (ESR) studies of L2-9-iron chelate showed that L2-9-Fe(II) produced free radicals both in the presence and absence of cells, while L2-9-Fe(III) produced free radicals only in the presence of actively metabolising cells.