HydroxyChloroQuine (HCQ) causes Cardiac Arrhythmia via Human Ether-a-go-go-related Gene (hERG)
Funny name for a Gene that is involved in frequently Fatal consquences.
In a previous article I very briefly dealt with HCQ reports of Adverse Reactions including Death.1
For HCQ US Government FAERS shows 3,528 Deaths and 29,801 Serious Cases from 32,478 total Cases from 1987 to 30 September 2024, with the peak in the Covid19 Pandemic.
For HCQ Sulfate FAERS shows 1,961 Deaths and 30,014 Serious Cases from 33,599 total Cases from 1970.
For HCQ Diphosphate there were 72 Deaths and 1631 Serious Cases from 1,835 total Cases.
Prolonged Qt is caused by binding of HCQ to hERG Potassium Channel Protein
FAERS shows 853 cases for HCQ or 2.63% of all cases, reported Qt Prolonged as measured by Electrocardiogram.
Clever researchers China2 investigated and used both computational and experimental methods to demonstrate that HCQ (hexagons in Green) binds strongly to hERG, as shown in this snip from their Figure.
Amino acid residue ALA-570 formed a hydrogen bond with HCQ, and the hydrogen bond and other hydrophobic forces stabilized the structure of the complex. HCQ bound to hERG channel protein effectively, and inhibited the outflow of K+, resulting in QT prolongation.
HCQ showed a concentration dependent inhibition of the hERG potassium channel during the patch clamp experiments.
More attention should be paid to the cardiotoxicity of quinoline compounds, especially HCQ, which has been used as a potential drug against SARS-CoV-2.
I recommend interested readers grab the free paper to fully appreciate this work, which also compares molecular docking of HCQ to that of 15 other drugs commonly prescribed.
Check whether any recent papers on HCQ mention this crucial paper.
February 2025 Deaths Update
For HCQ the US Government FEARS reports 4,091 Deaths and 30,858 Serious Cases from 33,595 total Cases from 1987 to 31 December 2024, a tragic increase from the 3,528 Deaths total to 30 September 2024.
Increased Deaths also for HCQ Diphosphate there were 87 Deaths and 1649 Serious Cases from 1,855 total Cases.
Surging Deaths also for HCQ Sulfate with FAERS showing 2,332 Deaths and 30,580 Serious Cases from 34,187 total Cases from 1970 to 31 December 2024.
Ran Yu and Peng Li. 2021. Computational and experimental studies on the inhibitory mechanism of hydroxychloroquine on hERG. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0300483X21001451
Brilliant!