Nine quinone derivatives, three 2-hydroxy-1, 4-naphthoquinone; three 4, 5 and three 4, 9-naphthoquinone scaffolds, were synthesized and evaluated against 3D7 and Dd2 Plasmodium falciparum strains. Quinoid compounds showed half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values in the micromolar range, and moderate toxicity against a human fibroblast cell line. Additionally, the compounds produced morphological changes in the digestive vacuole of treated parasites, similar to those caused by protease inhibitors that