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chloroquine

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chloroquine

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Also known as N(4)-(7-chloro-4-quinolinyl)-N(1),N(1)-diethyl-1,4-pentanediamine, N4-(7-chloro-4-quinolinyl)-N1,N1-diethyl-1,4-pentanediamine, 7-chloro-4-{[4-(diethylamino)-1-methylbutyl]amino}quinolinium, (RS)-chloroquine

Key facts

Drug.Watchedfields
changed
Drug.verifiedrevid
459442331
Drug.image
Chloroquine.svg
Drug.image_class
skin-invert-image
Drug.width
250px
Drug.image2
Chloroquine-ligand-CLQ-A-from-PDB-xtal-4FGL-Mercury-3D-balls.png
Drug.image_class2
bg-transparent
Drug.width2
225px
Drug.tradename
Aralen, other
Drug.DailyMedID
Chloroquine
Drug.routes_of_administration
By mouth
Drug.ATC_prefix
P01
Drug.ATC_suffix
BA01
Drug.legal_UK
P
Drug.legal_US
Rx-only
Drug.legal_status
Rx only
Drug.metabolism
Liver
Drug.elimination_half life
1-2 months

via Wikipedia infobox

Chemical data

Formula
C18H26ClN3
Molecular weight
319.9 g/mol
IUPAC name
4-N-(7-chloroquinolin-4-yl)-1-N,1-N-diethylpentane-1,4-diamine
SMILES
CCN(CC)CCCC(C)NC1=C2C=CC(=CC2=NC=C1)Cl
InChIKey
WHTVZRBIWZFKQO-UHFFFAOYSA-N
XLogP
4.6
Polar surface area
28.2 Ų
H-bond donors
1
H-bond acceptors
3
Formal charge
0

via PubChem

Research

32,665 papers

via PubMed

~17 min read

Encyclopedic overview

27 sections
Contents
  • Medical uses
  • Malaria
  • Amebiasis
  • Rheumatic disease
  • Side effects
  • Pregnancy
  • Elderly
  • Drug interactions
  • Overdose
  • Pharmacology
  • Mechanism of action
  • Malaria
  • Resistance in malaria
  • Antiviral
  • Other
  • History
  • Chemical synthesis
  • Society and culture
  • Formulations
  • Names
  • Other animals
  • Research
  • SARS-CoV
  • COVID-19
  • Other
  • References
  • External links

Chloroquine is an antiparasitic medication that treats malaria. It works by increasing the levels of heme in the blood, a substance toxic to the malarial parasite. This kills the parasite and stops the infection from spreading. Certain types of malaria, resistant strains, and complicated cases typically require different or additional medication. Chloroquine is also occasionally used for amebiasis that is occurring outside the intestines, rheumatoid arthritis, and lupus erythematosus. While it has not been formally studied in pregnancy, it appears safe. It is taken by mouth. It was studied to treat COVID-19 early in the pandemic, but these studies were largely halted in mid-2020, and the NIH does not recommend its use for this purpose.

Common side effects include muscle problems, loss of appetite, diarrhea, and skin rash. Serious side effects include problems with vision, muscle damage, seizures, and low blood cell levels. Chloroquine is a member of the drug class 4-aminoquinoline. As an antimalarial, it works against the asexual form of the malaria parasite in the stage of its life cycle within the red blood cell. How it works in rheumatoid arthritis and lupus erythematosus is unclear.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “chloroquine” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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