Antiplasmodial Alkaloids from the Australian Bryozoan Amathia lamourouxi.

An extract from the bryozoan Amathia lamourouxi with antiplasmodial activity was identified through high-throughput screening of an Australian marine invertebrate extract library against Plasmodium falciparum. Chemical investigation of A. lamourouxi resulted in the isolation of six new brominated alkaloids, convolutamines K and L (1 and 2), volutamides F-H (3-5), and 2,5-dibromo-1-methyl-1H-indole-3-carbaldehyde (6). Three of the compounds (2-4) displayed moderate to potent antiplasmodial activity against both the chloroquine-sensitive (3D7) and chloroquine-resistant (Dd2) parasite strains of Plasmodium falciparum with an IC50 range of 0.57-1.7 μM and a high selectivity index against a human cell line (HEK293).