Synthesis and biological activity of a series of diaryl-substituted alpha-cyano-beta-hydroxypropenamides, a new class of anthelmintic agents.

A series of alpha-cyano-beta-hydroxypropenamides was prepared and tested for anthelmintic activity. alpha-Cyano-beta-hydroxy-N-[4- (trifluoromethyl)phenyl]-3-[4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]propenamide (1) showed good activity against the nematode Nematospirodes dubius in a mixed parasite infection in mice; several of the analogues were also effective against the cestode Hymenolepis nana. In sheep trials, 1 caused 100% reduction of the hematophagous nematode Haemonchus contortus after a single dose of 20 mg/kg but did not show satisfactory control of Trichostrongylus colubriformis or Ostertagia circumcincta. Against the liver fluke Fasciola hepatica, 1 suppressed egg production but only temporarily, suggesting that the adult flukes were not eliminated. Mechanism of action studies on 1 using Ascaris mitochondria showed it to be an uncoupler of oxidative phosphorylation.