Aza vinyl sulfones: Synthesis and evaluation as antiplasmodial agents

The design, synthesis and evaluation of aza vinyl sulfones as antiplasmodial agents is described. A number of the new compounds effectively inhibited the in vitro development of Plasmodium falciparum. Compounds containing a squaramide group were the most active, with IC50 values between 0.95 and 4.5 μM, suggesting that these are potential lead compounds for the development of new antimalarial agents.