Using transition metals such as manganese(II), iron(II), cobalt(II), nickel(II), copper(II), and zinc(II), several new metal complexes of cross-bridged tetraazamacrocyclic chelators namely, cyclen- and cyclam-analogs with benzyl groups, were synthesized and screened for in vitro antimalarial activity against chloroquine-resistant (W2) and chloroquine-sensitive (D6) strains of Plasmodium falciparum. The metal-free chelators tested showed little or no antimalarial activity. All the metal complexes of the dibenzyl cross-bridged cyclam ligand exhibited potent antimalarial activity. The Mn2+ complex of this ligand was the most potent with IC50s of 0.127 and 0.157 µM against the chloroquine-sensitive (D6) and chloroquine-resistant (W2) P. falciparum strains, respectively. In general, the dibenzyl hydrophobic ligands showed better antimalarial activity compared to the activity of monobenzyl ligands, potentially because of their higher lipophilicity and thus better cell penetration ability. The higher antimalarial activity displayed by the manganese complex for the cyclam ligand in comparison to that of the cyclen, correlates with the larger pocket of cyclam compared to that of cyclen which produces a more stable complex with the Mn2+. Few of the Cu2+ and Fe2+ complexes also showed improvement in activity but Ni2+, Co2+ and Zn2+ complexes did not show any improvement in activity upon the metal-free ligands for anti-malarial development.

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A total of 44 bis-aryl-monocyclic polyamines, monoaryl-monocyclic polyamines and their transition metal complexes were prepared, chemically characterized, and screened in vitro against the Leishmania donovani promastigotes, axenic amastigotes and intracellular amastigotes in THP1 cells. The IC 50 and/or IC 90 values showed that 10 compounds were similarly active at about 2-fold less potent than known drug pentamidine against promastigotes. The most potent compound had an IC 50 of 2.82 μM (compared to 2.93 μM for pentamidine). Nine compounds were 1.1-13.6-fold