Potential antimalarial activity of indole alkaloids.

New antimalarial treatments are now urgently required, following the emergence of resistance to the most used drugs. Natural products contribute greatly to the therapeutic arsenal in this area, including artemisinin and quinine (and atovaquone, semi-synthetic). Among the natural products, indole alkaloids represent an interesting class of compounds. Screening carried out to date has revealed several substances active in vitro under the micromolar range and with a good selectivity index. This review covers the indole alkaloids with high antiplasmodial activity (in vitro and in vivo) isolated from natural sources, and is organized according to the different chemical structures of the alkaloids.