Conformational features of erythrocyte-bound chloroquine from double-selective 1H NMR relaxation

The interaction between the antimalarial drug chloroquine and red blood cells was investigated by measuring 1H NMR spin-lattice relaxation rates upon double-selective excitation of dipolarly connected spin pairs within the ligand molecule. Geometric and dynamic features were inferred, for the free as well as for the bound ligand, by the cross-relaxation terms between protons at fixed and time-dependent distances, respectively. A change in orientation of the side chain in respect of the aromatic moiety was shown to result from the binding interaction.