Marcfortine and Paraherquamide Class of Anthelmintics: Discovery of PNU- 141962

Three distinct chemical classes for the control of gastrointestinal nematodes are available: benzimidazoles, imidazothiazoles, and macrocyclic lactones. The relentless development of drug resistance has severely limited the usefulness of such drugs and the search for a new class of compounds - preferably with a different mode of action - is an important endeavor.Marcfortine A (1), a metabolite of Penicillium roqueforti, is structurally related to paraherquamide A (2), originally isolated from Penicillium paraherquei. Chemically the two compounds differ only in one ring, in marcfortine A, ring G is six-membered and carries no substituents, while in paraherquamide A, ring G is fivemembered with methyl and hydroxyl substituents at C14. Paraherquamide A (2) is superior to marcfortine A as a nematocide.2-Desoxoparaherquamide A (PNU-141962, 53) has excellent nematocidal activity, a superior safely profile, and is the first semi-synthetic member of this totally new class of nematocides that is a legitimate candidate for development. This review describes the chemistry, efficacy and mode of action of PNU-141962.