Febrifugine is a quinazolinone alkaloid first isolated from the Chinese herb Dichroa febrifuga, but also found in the garden plant Hydrangea.[1] Laboratory synthesis of febrifugine determined that the originally reported stereochemistry was incorrect.[2]

Febrifugine has antimalarial properties and the synthetic halogenated derivative halofuginone is used in veterinary medicine as a coccidiostat. Other synthetic febrifugine derivatives have been used against malaria, cancer, fibrosis, and inflammatory disease.[3]

References

  1. ^ McLaughlin, N. P.; Evans, P. (2010). "Dihydroxylation of Vinyl Sulfones: Stereoselective Synthesis of (+)- and (−)-Febrifugine and Halofuginone". The Journal of Organic Chemistry. 75 (2): 518–521. doi:10.1021/jo902396m. PMID 20000346.
  2. ^ Kobayashi, Shū; Ueno, Masaharu; Suzuki, Ritsu; Ishitani, Haruro; Kim, Hye-Sook; Wataya, Yusuke (1999). "Catalytic Asymmetric Synthesis of Antimalarial Alkaloids Febrifugine and Isofebrifugine and Their Biological Activity". The Journal of Organic Chemistry. 64 (18): 6833–6841. doi:10.1021/jo990877k. PMID 11674693.
  3. ^ Keller, Tracy L; Zocco, Davide; Sundrud, Mark S; Hendrick, Margaret; Edenius, Maja; Yum, Jinah; Kim, Yeon-Jin; Lee, Hak-Kyo; et al. (2012). "Halofuginone and other febrifugine derivatives inhibit prolyl-tRNA synthetase". Nature Chemical Biology. 8 (3): 311–317. doi:10.1038/nchembio.790. PMC 3281520. PMID 22327401.