Razi Institute for Drug Research (RIDR) of Iran University of Medical Sciences and Health Services (IUMS)
Abstract
The in vitro activity of rac-mefloquine hydrochloride and its pure
enantiomers was tested against a chloroquine-resistant (PF.IBS2) strain
of Plasmodium falciparum . The parasite isolated from Iranian
patients was cultured in vitro by the candle jar method described by
Tranger and Jensen and was exposed to the racemic mefloquine or its
enantiomers over the concentration range of 10-9 to 10-4 M. Neither
rac-mefloquine nor the enantiomers showed antiparasitic activity at
10-9 M. The (+)-mefloquine was more potent than the (-)-mefloquine and
the racemate by IC50 equal to 1.17 μM in comparison to 4.09
μM
