Synthesis and in vitro antimalarial and antitubercular activity of gold(III) complexes containing thiosemicarbazone ligands

Gold(III) thiosemicarbazone complexes derived from [Au(damp-C1,N)Cl2] (2), where damp = dimeth-ylaminoethylphenyl, have been synthesized. The compounds were characterised using various spectroscopic and analytical techniques, including NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, infrared spectroscopy and elemental analysis. The gold complexes were screened for in vitro antimalarial and antitubercular activity. Although incorporation of the gold(III) centre into thiosemicarbazone scaffolds enhanced their efficacy against the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum, this trend was not observed for the antitubercular activity of selected thiosemicarbazones against the Mycobacterium tuberculosis virulent strain H37Rv.

The synthesis and characterization of gold(III) compounds are described including their in vitro evaluation against Plasmodium falciparum and Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains. In vitro biological evaluation of these complexes revealed that the presence of gold(III) centre generally selectively enhanced antiplasmodial activity of thiosemicarbazone ligands in comparison to their anti-TB activity.Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slideHighlights
► Gold(III) thiosemicarbazone complexes were prepared.
► The complexes were derived from [Au(damp-C1,N)Cl2].
► The gold complexes were screened for in vitro antimalarial and antitubercular activity.
► The gold complexes displayed enhanced antimalarial activity over their free ligands.