Original article
Increase of leishmanicidal and tubercular activities using steroids linked to aminoquinoline
- † Equal contributors
1 Departamento de Parasitologia, Microbiologia e Imunologia, I.C.B, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, Campus Universitário, Juiz de Fora, MG 36036-900, Brazil
2 Departamento de Química, I.C.E., Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, Campus Universitário, Juiz de Fora, MG 36036-900, Brazil
3 Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, F.C. F., Universidade Estadual Paulista “Júlio de Mesquita Filho”, Rod. Araraquara-Jaú Km.01 s/n, Campus, 14801-902, Araraquara, SP, Brazil
4 Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut de Chimie des Substances Naturelles, UPR 2301 CNRS, Avenue de la Terrasse, 91198, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
Organic and Medicinal Chemistry Letters 2012, 2:16 doi:10.1186/2191-2858-2-16
Published: 2 May 2012Abstract
Background
Aminoquinoline/steroid conjugates were synthesized based on the fact that steroid transporters have been shown to accept and carry a variety of drugs. So, in continuing our research of antileishmanial and antitubercular drugs, aminoquinoline/steroid conjugates (12, 13, and 14) were regioselectively synthesized via 1, 3-dipolar cycloaddition of alkynes 3, 5, and 7 with azide 12. The aminoquinoline/steroids conjugates were evaluated in vitro against Leishmania major and Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
Results
Regioselective synthesis of the novel aminoquinoline/steroid conjugates was achieved in very high yield. All aminoquinoline/steroid conjugates (12, 13, and 14) exhibited best results against Leishmania and M. tuberculosis than the respective alkyne intermediate structures (3, 5, and 7, respectively). Among them, the compound 12 exhibited the best activity for M. tuberculosis (MIC = 8.8 μM). This result is comparable to drugs commonly used in tuberculosis treatment. Also, for antileishmanial assay, the aminoquinoline/steroid conjugates demonstrated a significant activity against promastigote and amastigote forms of L. major.
Conclusions
Addition of a steroid group to aminoquinoline molecules enhanced the leishmanicidal and antitubercular activities. These results highlight the importance of steroids as carrier.
