Development of 5-benzylpaullones and paullone-9-carboxylic acid alkyl esters as selective inhibitors of mitochondrial malate dehydrogenase (mMDH).

A collection of paullones was tested for inhibitory activity against mitochondrial malate dehydrogenase (mMDH) as a biological target for antiproliferative activity. Based on the results of this screening, 5-benzylpaullones and paullone-9-carboxylic acid alkyl esters were developed as selective mMDH inhibitors. The new derivatives did not show noteworthy antiproliferative activity when tested on a panel of cancer cell lines, suggesting that mMDH inhibition is of minor relevance for the growth inhibition caused by paullones.