Chloroquine Phosphate

Breast Feeding; Lactation; Milk, Human; Anti-infective Agents; Antiparasitic Agents; Antimalarials; Antirheumatic Agents; Antiprotozoal Agents

FDA approved drugs -> Active ingredient

FDA approved drugs -> Active ingredient

Treatment is symptomatic and must be prompt with immediate evacuation of the stomach by emesis (at home, before transportation to the hospital) or gastric lavage until the stomach is completely emptied. If finely powdered, activated charcoal is introduced by stomach tube, after lavage, and within 30 minutes after ingestion of the antimalarial, it may inhibit further intestinal absorption of the drug. To be effective, the dose of activated charcoal should be at least five times the estimated dose of chloroquine ingested. Convulsions, if present, should be controlled before attempting gastric lavage. (L1712)

Possible heath effects include an irreversible retinal damage, visual disturbances, nyctalopia; scotomatous vision with field defects of paracentral, pericentral ring types, and typically temporal scotomas, nerve type deafness; tinnitus, reduced hearing in patients with preexisting auditory damage. Other effects include pleomorphic skin eruptions, skeletal muscle myopathy, hypotension, electrocardiographic change as well as neuropsychiatric changes including psychosis, delirium, personality changes and depression (RxList, A308).

The mechanism of plasmodicidal action of chloroquine is not completely certain. Like other quinoline derivatives, it is thought to inhibit heme polymerase activity. This results in accumulation of free heme, which is toxic to the parasites. nside red blood cells, the malarial parasite must degrade hemoglobin to acquire essential amino acids, which the parasite requires to construct its own protein and for energy metabolism. Digestion is carried out in a vacuole of the parasite cell. During this process, the parasite produces the toxic and soluble molecule heme. The heme moiety consists of a porphyrin ring called Fe(II)-protoporphyrin IX (FP). To avoid destruction by this molecule, the parasite biocrystallizes heme to form hemozoin, a non-toxic molecule. Hemozoin collects in the digestive vacuole as insoluble crystals. Chloroquine enters the red blood cell, inhabiting parasite cell, and digestive vacuole by simple diffusion. Chloroquine then becomes protonated (to CQ2+), as the digestive vacuole is known to be acidic (pH 4.7); chloroquine then cannot leave by diffusion. Chloroquine caps hemozoin molecules to prevent further biocrystallization of heme, thus leading to heme buildup. Chloroquine binds to heme (or FP) to form what is known as the FP-Chloroquine complex; this complex is highly toxic to the cell and disrupts membrane function. Action of the toxic FP-Chloroquine and FP results in cell lysis and ultimately parasite cell autodigestion. In essence, the parasite cell drowns in its own metabolic products.

Completely absorbed from gastrointestinal tract. Chloroquine is partially metabolized; the major metabolite is desethylchloroquine. Desethylchloroquine also has antiplasmodial activity, but is slightly less active than chloroquine. Bisdesethylchloroquine, which is a carboxylic acid derivative, and several other unidentified metabolites are also formed in small amounts (A625). Route of Elimination: Excretion of chloroquine is quite slow, but is increased by acidification of the urine. Half Life: 1-2 months

CHLOROQUINE PHOSPHATE

Antimalarial [EPC]

CHLOROQUINUM PHOS.

Antimalarial [EPC]

Anti-inflammatory agents that are non-steroidal in nature. In addition to anti-inflammatory actions, they have analgesic, antipyretic, and platelet-inhibitory actions. They act by blocking the synthesis of prostaglandins by inhibiting cyclooxygenase, which converts arachidonic acid to cyclic endoperoxides, precursors of prostaglandins. Inhibition of prostaglandin synthesis accounts for their analgesic, antipyretic, and platelet-inhibitory actions; other mechanisms may contribute to their anti-inflammatory effects.

Agents used in the treatment of malaria. They are usually classified on the basis of their action against plasmodia at different stages in their life cycle in the human. (From AMA, Drug Evaluations Annual, 1992, p1585)

Pharmacological agents destructive to nematodes in the superfamily Filarioidea.