Investigating the Antimalarial Action of 1,2,4-Trioxolanes with Fluorescent Chemical Probes

1,2,4-Trioxolane analogs are a class of important antimalarial drugs. There is a need for new anti malaria drugs that are affordable and reliably available. Some peroxide compounds, that contain a sterically hindered 1,2,4-trioxolane ring are currently in clinical trials. The mechanism of action of these peroxide compounds has not been elucidated yet and rises some debate. In order to study the intracellular reactivity of 1,2,4-trioxolanes and the mechanism of fragmentation of the peroxide bond when it reacts with Ferrous Iron, they designed fluorescent probes. The fluorescent probes were synthesized by substituting their lead compound with a dansyl group. They found that the trioxolane ring fragments within parasites and that fragmentation results in accumulation of adamantane fragments in neutral lipid bodies.