Design and synthesis of pfmrk inhibitors as potential antimalarial agents

The synthesis and inhibitory activities of 10 potential inhibitors of Pfmrk, a Plasmodium falciparum cyclin-dependent protein kinase, are described. The most potent inhibitor is a 3-phenyl-quinolinone compound with an IC50 value of 18 μM. It is the first compound reported to inhibit Pfmrk at the micro molar range.