title: Orally active antimalarial 3-substituted trioxanes: new synthetic methodology and biological evaluation.
abstract: On the basis of a mechanistic understanding of the mode of action of artemisinin-like antimalarials, a series of structurally simple 3-aryl-1,2,4-trioxanes 5 was designed and was prepared in three to five operations from commercial reactants. The 3-aryl group was attached in each case as a nucleophile. In an electronically complementary fashion, 3-(fluoroalkyl)-trioxanes 6 were prepared via attachment of electrophilic fluoroalkyl esters. Both in vitro and in vivo antimalarial evaluations of these new trioxanes showed 12 beta-methoxy-3-aryltrioxanes 5g, 5j, 5k, and 51 to be highly potent, with crystalline fluorobenzyl ether trioxane 5k especially potent even when administered to rodents orally. As shown by rearrangement of hexamethyl Dewar benzene into hexamethylbenzene, iron-induced degradation of some of these 3-aryltrioxanes 5 involves generation of high-valent iron oxo species that might kill malaria parasites.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA.
authors.forename: G H
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Posner
authors.forename: J N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Cumming
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Woo
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ploypradith
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: T A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Shapiro
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000818:Animals; D000962:Antimalarials / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D019086:Bridged Bicyclo Compounds, Heterocyclic / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; D051379:Mice; D010962:Plasmodium berghei; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000187:drug effects; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship
chemical_list: C111357:3-(4-(4'-fluorobenzyloxymethyl)phenyl)trioxane; D000962:Antimalarials; D019086:Bridged Bicyclo Compounds, Heterocyclic