Investigation of 7-benzylidenenaltrexone derivatives as resistance reverser for chloroquine-resistant Plasmodium chabaudi

Derivatives of 7-benzylidenenaltrexone (BNTX), which was recently reported to be an effective chloroquine (CQ)-resistance reverser, were synthesized and evaluated for their CQ-resistance reversing activities. The synthesized derivatives showed CQ-resistance reversing effects. They also reacted with glutathione (GSH) both enzymatically and chemically, and inhibited glutathione reductase activity. 7-Benzyl derivative, which was obtained by reduction of the olefin group in α,β-unsaturated ketone structure of BNTX, also exhibited CQ-resistance reversing effect, but its potency was significantly lower than that of BNTX. These outcomes suggested that the decrease in GSH level could be one of the mechanisms of CQ-resistance reversing effects induced by BNTX derivatives.