The antimalarial activity of berberine and some synthetic analogues

Berberine chloride and ten synthetic analogues were tested for antimalarial activity and for interaction with DNA. Antimalarial activity was assessed by measurement of inhibition of growth of Plasmodium falciparum in-vitro, using chloroquine-sensitive and -resistant strains. DNA interactions were assessed by UV spectrophotometric studies, thermal denaturation measurements and gel electrophoresis. Four of the compounds including berberine chloride were found to show some interaction with DNA which showed some correlation with antimalarial activity. Berberine is known to inhibit several enzymes, as well as DNA and these results suggest that DNA is not the only site of antimalarial action of these analogues.