Introduction: Chloroquine (CQ) and hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) originally were prescribed for prevention or treatment of malaria, but now successfully are used in several rheumatologic diseases. In addition, in recent decades considering their immunomodulatory effects, high tolerably, and low cost, they are evaluated for various viral infections from HIV to COVID-19. Areas covered: In this review, we tried to summarize all available studies on HCQ and CQ efficacy for management of viral infections and the probable mechanisms of action. The data were collected by searching 'Hydroxychloroquine,' 'Chloroquine,' 'Viral infection,' and names of various viral infections in PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases from commencement to June 2020. Out of 95 search results, 74 most relevant works were gathered. Expert opinion: HCQ/CQ showed acceptable efficacy in HIV especially as an adjuvant treatment beside routine HAART. However, for some viral infections such as ZIKA, EBOLA, SARS-CoV, and MERS-CoV, human studies are lacking. In the COVID-19 pandemic, in vitro and preliminary human studies showed encouraging findings. However, later well-designed trials and retrospective studies with large sample size not only reported non-significant efficacy but also showed more cardiac adverse reactions. Alkalinization of acid vesicles is the most important mechanism of action.
Chemotherapy induced nephrotoxicity is one of the most common
complications in cancer patients, especially under treatment with
cisplatin containing regimens, which may require cisplatin dose
reduction and in some cases discontinuation of the treatment, which
interferes with treatment process. Curcumin is an antioxidant and
anti-inflammatory compound and the most important active component of
curcuma longa. In this study, the preventive effect of nano-curcumin
oral formulation on cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity in cancer patients
was investigated. In this triple-blind clinical trial 30 cancer patients
were randomly divided into the treatment group, receiving 40 mg
nano-curcumin capsules (15 patients) and the placebo group (15 patients)
twice a day for four chemotherapy courses. Kidney function was measured
at the beginning of the study and then at the end of each course of
chemotherapy. There was no significant difference in acute kidney injury
occurrence rate and creatinine and blood urine nitrogen serum levels
between the treatment and placebo groups at the end of each chemotherapy
course. (P value>0.05) and was not effective in preventing
the cisplatin induced nephrotoxicity in cancer patients in comparison
with the placebo. Additional studies with different doses and durations
of administration are recommended.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.