Immune activation associated with HIV-1 infection contributes to morbidity and mortality. We studied whether chloroquine, through Toll-like receptor (TLR) antagonist properties, could reduce immune activation thought to be driven by TLR ligands, such as gut-derived bacterial elements and HIV-1 RNAs. AIDS Clinical Trials Group A5258 was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in 33 ...

Several cationic-amphiphilic drugs such as chloroquine and amiodarone are known to induce phospholipidosis in the cornea by systemic administration. However, the characteristics of ophthalmological and pathological changes when phospholipidosis-inducing drugs are topically applied have not been well studied. This study was conducted to investigate the characteristics of corneal changes caused b...

Malaria is an endemic disease in developing countries like India. Peripheral smear examination for malarial parasites, though the gold standard for diagnosis is observer-dependent and may be reported as negative even in strongly-suspected cases. Hence, a large number of patients having fever are empirically treated with antimalarial drugs. Chloroquine and its derivatives have been the drugs of ...

The synergy of the activities between chloroquine and various human immunodeficiency virus protease inhibitors was investigated in chloroquine-resistant and -sensitive malaria parasites. In both in vitro and in vivo assay systems, ritonavir was found to be the most potent in potentiating the antimalarial action of chloroquine.

A 58 year old woman on long term treatment with chloroquine for systemic lupus erythematosus presented with cardiac conduction disorders and heart failure with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which was confirmed by histology to be related to chloroquine toxicity. The heart failure improved on stopping chloroquine treatment.

Chloroquine is used clinically as an autophagy blocker to potentiate anticancer treatments. However, whether chloroquine acts solely through autophagy-dependent and cancer cell autonomous mechanisms has remained elusive. In a recent study we found that chloroquine reduced intratumoral hypoxia and metastasis, while improving chemotherapy response, largely through an autophagy-independent, NOTCH1...

Treatment of cells with the macrolide antibiotic bafilomycin A1, an inhibitor of vacuolar (V)-ATPase, or with the lysosomotropic agent chloroquine, has been shown to pharmacologically inhibit autophagy as evidenced by an accumulation of autophagosomes, which in turn causes Bax-dependent apoptosis. However, bafilomycin A1 has also been reported to inhibit chloroquine-induced apoptosis, suggestin...

Chloroquine is an antimalarial drug that has been used in the treatment and prophylaxis of malaria since the 1950s. The present study was undertaken to examine the effects of chloroquine on Bcap-37 human breast cancer cells' growth, cell cycle modulation, apoptosis induction, and associated molecular alterations in vitro. The chloroquine treatment decreased the viability of Bcap-37 cells in a c...

BACKGROUND Bacterial resistance to antibiotics is thought to develop only in the presence of antibiotic pressure. Here we show evidence to suggest that fluoroquinolone resistance in Escherichia coli has developed in the absence of fluoroquinolone use. METHODS Over 4 years, outreach clinic attendees in one moderately remote and five very remote villages in rural Guyana were surveyed for the pr...

Chloroquine intercalates into DNA and protects cells against topoisomerase II (topo II) poisons such as etoposide by hindering the DNA cleavage reaction of this target enzyme. Chloroquine, in contrast to etoposide, is a weak base and therefore barely enters the cell when the extracellular fluid is acidic, as is the case in most solid tumors. Such a pH-dependent drug interaction could be useful ...