Synthesis, molecular modelling studies of indolyl chalcone derivatives and their antimalarial activity evaluation

Abstract

Twenty one chalcone derivatives were synthesized using Claisen-Schmidt condensation, their antimalarial activity against Plasmodium falciparum was determined and quantitative structure–activity relationship (QSAR) was developed. Condensation of substituted acetophenones with various aromatic aldehydes at room temperature gave chalcones in 75–96% yield. Chalcones are secondary metabolites of terrestrial plants, precursors for the biosynthesis of flavonoids and exhibit various biological activities. Antiplasmodial IC₅₀ (half-maximal inhibitory concentration) activity of a compound against malaria parasites in vitro provides a good first screen for identifying the antimalarial potential of the compound. The most active compound was Trans-3-(1H-indol-3-yl)-1-(2’-hydroxyphenyl)-2-propen-1-one (1b) with IC₅₀ of 2.1 µM/L. Molecular mechanism was explored through in silico docking & ADMET studies for the active compounds.

Keywords:

• Chalcones
• in-vitro
• antimalarial activity
• P. falciparum
• QSAR

Acknowledgements

We acknowledge the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), New Delhi for financial support through Emeritus project 21(1050)/18 EMR-II at the CSIR-Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CIMAP), Lucknow, India. We are also thankful to the Director, CSIR-CIMAP, Lucknow for rendering essential research facilities and support.

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The author(s) confirm that this article content has no conflicts of interest.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.