In vitro assessment of 2-acetylpyridine thiosemicarbazones against chloroquine-resistant Plasmodium falciparum.

A series of 2-acylpyridine thiosemicarbazones was evaluated in vitro against a chloroquine-resistant Plasmodium falciparum strain. Antimalarial activity was assessed by the inhibition of uptake of [G-3H]hypoxanthine by the parasites. Among the mono- and disubstituted derivatives tested, 13 of 17 had 50% inhibitory doses of less than 10 ng/ml. Increasing the size of the ring at N4 from four to five, six, and seven members produced concomitant decreases in activity. Similarly, increasing the size of the aliphatic substituent on the azomethine carbon reduced activity. Selected compounds were also tested against a chloroquine-susceptible strain. The results suggested that the activities of these agents were not modified significantly by resistance to chloroquine. In general, in vitro activities correlate poorly with the in vivo activities in mice infected with Plasmodium berghei.