The clinically established gold-based antiarthritic drug auranofin (AF) manifests a pronounced reactivity toward thiol and selenol groups of proteins. In particular, AF behaves as a potent inhibitor of mammalian thioredoxin reductases causing severe intracellular oxidative stress. Given the high sensitivity of Plasmodium falciparum to oxidative stress, we thought that auranofin might act as an effective antimalarial agent. Thus, we report here new experimental results showing that auranofin and a few related gold complexes strongly inhibit P. falciparum growth in vitro. The observed antiplasmodial effects probably arise from direct inhibition of P. falciparum thioredoxin reductase. The above findings and the safe toxicity profile of auranofin warrant rapid evaluation of AF for malaria treatment in animal models.

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Three novel polyhydroxylated triterpenes have been isolated from Uncaria tomentosa. Their structures were established as 1, 2, and 3 by detailed spectral studies including 1H-13C correlations via long range couplings using the INAPT pulse sequence, nOeds, and 2D 1H-13C direct chemical shift correlation (HETCOR) nmr techniques.