Insights in Chloroquine Action: Perspectives and Implications in Malaria andCOVID-19

Author(s)

Pillat, Micheli Mainardi ^[1] ; Kruger, Arne ^[2] ; Ferreira Guimaraes, Lara Mendes ^[3] ; Lameu, Claudiana ^[3] ; de Souza, Edmarcia Elisa ^[2] ; Wrenger, Carsten ^[2] ; Ulrich, Henning ^[3]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Fed Santa Maria, Hlth Sci Ctr, Dept Microbiol & Parasitol, Santa Maria, RS - Brazil

^[2] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Biomed Sci, Dept Parasitol, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[3] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Chem, Dept Biochem, Av Prof Lineu Prestes 748, BR-05508900 Sao Paulo - Brazil

• Document type: Review article
• Source: Cytometry Part A; v. 97, n. 9 AUG 2020.
• Web of Science Citations: 5

Abstract

Malaria is a threat to human mankind and kills about half a million people every year. On the other hand, COVID-19 resulted in several hundred thousand deaths since December 2019 and remains without an efficient and safe treatment. The antimalarials chloroquine (CQ) and its analog, hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), have been tested for COVID-19 treatment, and several conflicting evidence has been obtained. Therefore, the aim of this review was to summarize the evidence regarding action mechanisms of these compounds againstPlasmodiumand SARS-CoV-2 infection, together with cytometry applications. CQ and HCQ act on the renin angiotensin system, with possible implications on the cardiorespiratory system. In this context, flow and image cytometry emerge as powerful technologies to investigate the mechanism of therapeutic candidates, as well as for the identification of the immune response and prognostics of disease severity. Data from the large randomized trials support the conclusion that CQ and HCQ do not provide any clinical improvements in disease severity and progression of SARS-CoV-2 patients, as well as they do not present any solid evidence of increased serious side effects. These drugs are safe and effective antimalarials agents, but in SARS-CoV-2 patients, they need further studies in the context of clinical trials. (c) 2020 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 18/07366-4 - Purine and kinin receptors as targets of study and therapeutic interventions in neurological diseases
• Grantee: Alexander Henning Ulrich
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants
• FAPESP's process: 18/08820-0 - Nanoparticle-assisted drug delivery of Vitamin B6 pathway inhibitors in malaria
• Grantee: Arne Kruger
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• FAPESP's process: 15/26722-8 - Drug discovery against human infectious diseases
• Grantee: Carsten Wrenger
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants
• FAPESP's process: 15/19128-2 - Metastasis mechanisms of childhood tumors to bone marrow
• Grantee: Claudiana Lameu
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Young Investigators Grants