Synthesis of 2-ferrocenylquinoline derivatives and evaluation of their antimalarial activity

Some quinoline-based compounds bearing a ferrocenyl unit in the 2-position of the heterocyclic system were synthesized from ferrocenyl-o-nitrochalcones through a simple hydrogenation/intramolecular cyclization sequence and fully characterized. The obtained ferrocenyl derivatives were evaluated in vitro as antimalarial agents against chloroquine-susceptible D10 and chloroquine-resistant W2 strains of Plasmodium falciparum and a beneficial effect of the organometallic moiety was evidenced in comparison with the phenyl-substituted analogues. All the ferrocenyl heterocycles inhibited the parasite growth in μM range and the lowest values of IC50 were determined for derivatives containing a dimethylamino group as additional substituent.