Selective accumulation of rhodacyanine in plasmodial mitochondria is related to the growth inhibition of malaria parasitesElectronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Color graphics of the accumulation study and characterization data for all new compounds. See DOI: 10.1039/c0sc00125b

Fluorescent rhodacyanines, which display antimalarial activity in vitro and in vivo , stain plasmodial parasites at the erythrocytic stage. A good correlation between the antimalarial activity and the accumulation of the dyes is observed. A fused-rhodacyanine, which displays a strong fluorescent property itself, was designed as a new probe for plasmodial parasites. It appears to be specifically localized in the parasitic mitochondria. Fluorescent rhodacyanines, displaying antiplasmodial activity with high selectivity, were found to be specifically localized in parasitic mitochondria.