A pantetheinase-resistant pantothenamide with potent, on-target, and selective antiplasmodial activity

Cristiano J. Macuamule, Erick T. Tjhin, Collins E. Jana, Leanne Barnard, Lizbé Koekemoer, Marianne De Villiers, Kevin J. Saliba, Erick Strauss*

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    30 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Pantothenamides inhibit blood-stage Plasmodium falciparum with potencies (50% inhibitory concentration [IC50], ∼20 nM) similar to that of chloroquine. They target processes dependent on pantothenate, a precursor of the essential metabolic cofactor coenzyme A. However, their antiplasmodial activity is reduced due to degradation by serum pantetheinase. Minor modification of the pantothenamide structure led to the identification of α-methyl-N-phenethyl-pantothenamide, a pantothenamide resistant to degradation, with excellent antiplasmodial activity (IC50, 52 ± 6 nM), target specificity, and low toxicity.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)3666-3668
    Number of pages3
    JournalAntimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy
    Volume59
    Issue number6
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 1 Jun 2015

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