Organometallic analogs of chloroquine: Challenges and perspectives as anti-malarial agents

Malaria caused by Plasmodium protozoa, transmitted by the Anopheles mosquitoes' is one ofthe most important diseases. Current antimalarial drugs target vital parasite progressions ormetabolic pathways essential for parasitic development, thus aiding the host in overcomingthe infection by inhibiting protozoa growth. However, at the same time, it also produces adisruptive consequence on the host cells. These cause severe adverse effects on the host andlead to drug resistance. The urgent need for novel, non-toxic anti-protozoal compounds isevident due to the resistance developed against drugs like chloroquine andhydroxychloroquine. Metal complexes of various elements like iron, gold, ruthenium, and othershave shown their anti-malarial potential. We have reviewed the research ongoing globally on the developments of new molecules of chloroquine coupled with different transition elements and describe the structure-activity relationship of chloroquine, which also provides insights into the chemistry of these compounds. This review describes the chloroquine attached with different transition elements as the anti-malarial drug development initiatives, structural activity relationship of chloroquine, and its implications for anti-malarial drug development. It investigates the potential of chloroquine with various metallic elements as potential anti-malarial agents. Toxicity issues of transition metal-chloroquine complexes while addressing challenges and future perspectives in the field are also discussed. image