Robenidine Analogues Are Potent Antimalarials in Drug-Resistant Plasmodium falciparum

Robenidine is a veterinary drug used in the poultry industry to treat coccidiosis caused by parasites in the Eimeria genus. Though this compound and related aminoguanidines have recently been studied in other pathogens, the chemotype has not been systematically explored to optimize antimalarial activity despite the close genetic relationship between Eimeria and Plasmodium (both are members of the Apicomplexa phylum of unicellular, spore-forming parasites). In this study, a series of aminoguanidine robenidine analogues was prepared and tested in vitro against Plasmodium falciparum, including multidrug-resistant strains. Selected compounds were further evaluated in vivo against murine Plasmodium yoelii in mice. Iterative structure-activity relationship studies led to the discovery of 1, an aminoguanidine with excellent activity against drug-resistant malaria in vitro and impressive in vivo efficacy with an ED50 value of 0.25 mg/kg/day in a standard 4-day test.