Chloroquine phosphate: therapeutic drug for COVID-19 / 南方医科大学学报

Since the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the late 2019, a variety of antiviral drugs have been used in the first-line clinical trial. The Diagnostic and Treatment Protocol for COVID-19 (Trial Version 6) in China recommends chloroquine phosphate for the first time as an anti-coronavirus trial drug. As a classic drug for treatment of malaria and rheumatism, chloroquine phosphate has been used clinically for more than 80 years, and has also shown good results in the treatment of various viral infections. As the plasma drug concentration varies greatly among different races and individuals and due to its narrow treatment window, chloroquine in likely to accumulate in the body to cause toxicity. Among the treatment regimens recommended for COVID-19, reports concerning the safety of a short-term high-dose chloroquine regimen remain scarce. In this review, the authors summarize the current research findings of chloroquine phosphate in the treatment of COVID-19, and examine the pharmacokinetic characteristics, antiviral therapy, the therapeutic mechanism and safety of chloroquine.

Compound Huang Gan delays chronic renal failure after 5/6 nephrectomy in rats / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the effect of compound Huang Gan in delaying chronic renal failure in rats after 5/6 nephrectomy and explore the possible mechanisms.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>High-performance liquid chromatography was used to was used identify the components of compound Huang Gan extract. Rat models of 5/6 nephrectomy received a 12-week treatment with intragastric administration of Niaoduqing, Cozaar, or compound Huang Gan at low, moderate or high doses (n=10). After the treatments, the rats were sacrificed for detecting Scr, BUN, Ucr and 24h UPr , pathological examination of the renal tissues, and determination of FN, MCP-1, and ICAM-1 expression levels in the renal tissues using RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The major chemical components of compound Huang Gan extract included glycyrrhizin (0.61%), paeonol (1.2%), aloe emodin (0.72%), rhein (0.85%), emodin (0.87%), chrysophanol (0.79%) and physcion (0.8%). Treatment with compound Huang Gan at low, moderate and high doses significantly reduced Scr, BUN, Ucr , Ccr and 24 h UPr levels (P(P<0.05), improved interstitial fibrosis and glomerulosclerosis, and reduced FN and ICAM-1 expressions (P(P<0.05) in rats following nephrectomy.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Compound Huang Gan can improve the renal function and lessen glomerulosclerosis and renal interstitial fibrosis to delay the progression of chronic renal failure in rat models of 5/6 nephrectomy.</p>