4-Aminoquinoline-ferrocenyl-chalcone conjugates: Synthesis and anti-plasmodial evaluation

A series of aliphatic and aromatic substituted 1H-1,2,3-triazole-tethered 4-amino-quinoline-ferrocenylchalcone conjugates has been synthesized and evaluated for anti-plasmodial activity. The conjugates with flexible aliphatic (aminoethanol or aminopropanol) substituents on the quinoline ring showed better anti-plasmodial activities compared to those with cyclic (piperazine or aminophenol) substituents. The conjugate 17j was the most potent and non-cytotoxic, with an IC₅₀ value of 0.37 μM against the chloroquine-resistant W2 strain of Plasmodium falciparum.