Combined Prophylactic and Therapeutic Use Maximizes Hydroxychloroquine Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Effects in vitro

Nicola Clementi; Elena Criscuolo; Roberta Antonia Diotti; Roberto Ferrarese; Matteo Castelli; Lorenzo Dagna; Roberto Burioni; Massimo Clementi; Nicasio Mancini

doi:10.3389/fmicb.2020.01704

Combined Prophylactic and Therapeutic Use Maximizes Hydroxychloroquine Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Effects in vitro

Front Microbiol. 2020 Jul 10:11:1704. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.01704. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Laboratory of Microbiology and Virology, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy.
² Laboratory of Microbiology and Virology, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy.
³ Unit of Immunology, Rheumatology, Allergy and Rare Diseases (UnIRAR), IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy.

Abstract

While the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is heavily hitting the world, it is of extreme importance that significant in vitro observations guide the quick set up of clinical trials. In this study, we evidence that the anti-SARS-CoV2 activity of a clinically achievable hydroxychloroquine concentration is maximized only when administered before and after the infection of Vero E6 and Caco-2 cells. This suggests that only a combined prophylactic and therapeutic use of hydroxychloroquine may be effective in limiting viral replication in patients.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; hydroxychloroquine; prophylaxis; therapy.