3,5-Diaryl-2-aminopyridines as a novel class of orally active antimalarials demonstrating single dose cure in mice and clinical candidate potential

Malaria is a disease that is prevalent in many developing countries. According to the World Health Organization 2011 report, malaria is responsible for 216 million clinical cases and 655000 deaths in 2010, especially among children and pregnant women.1 Malaria is caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Plasmodium that infect and destroy red blood cells, leading to fever, severe anemia, cerebral malaria, and, if untreated, death. Plasmodium falciparum is the dominant species in sub-Saharan Africa and is responsible for the most deaths. The disease burden is heaviest in African children under 5 years of age. Plasmodium vivax causes 25-40 of the global malaria burden, particularly in South and Southeast Asia and Central and South America. The other two main species that are known to infect humans are Plasmodium ovale and Plasmodium malariae.