Fig. 2.

Reduction of viral load by HCQ. Upon glycosylation, angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) translocates to the membrane. SARS-CoV2 uses the glycosylated ACE2 receptor to enter into the cell. The fusion of viral and endosomal membranes leading to the release of the viral genome into the cytosol occurs at acidic pH. The genomic RNA is translated to proteins to assemble copies of the virus followed by exocytosis of SARS-CoV2 and infection of neighboring cells. HCQ inhibits the glycosylation of ACE2 receptors and increases the pH to prevent the fusion of viral and endosomal membrane