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Updated: Jul 30, 2026

Cecal Ligation Puncture Procedure
Published on: May 7, 2011
Hydroxychloroquine attenuates sepsis-induced acute respiratory distress syndrome in rats
Gulcin Ercan1, Ejder Saylav Bora2, Osman Sezer Çınaroğlu2
1Department of General Surgery, Sultan 2. Abdulhamid Han Educational and Research Hospital, Istanbul Provincial Directorate of Health, Istanbul-Türkiye.
Background:
This study investigates the effects of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) on a sepsis-induced acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) model in rats, initiated by a fecal intraperitoneal injection procedure (FIP).
Methods:
Three groups were established: control (n=8), FIP + saline (n=7), and FIP + HCQ (20 mg/kg/day) (n=9). Blood samples were collected for arterial blood gas and biochemical analyses, and bilateral pneumonectomy was performed for histopathologic examination.
Results:
In the FIP + saline group, PaO2 decreased and PaCO2 increased, whereas these levels normalized in the FIP + HCQ group compared to the control (p<0.001 and p<0.05, respectively). Histopathological scores for alveolar congestion, perivascular/interstitial edema, hemorrhage in alveolar tissue, leukocyte infiltration or aggregation in air spaces/vascular walls, and alveolar wall/hyaline membrane thickness increased in the FIP + saline group compared to the control group (p<0.01). These scores decreased in the FIP + HCQ group compared to the FIP + saline group (p<0.01). HCQ reversed the sepsis-induced increase in malondialdehyde, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-6, and lactic acid.
Conclusion:
HCQ may be an effective and safe option to mitigate the severe progression of ARDS.
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