Skip to main content
. 2021 May 13;18(12):2673–2688. doi: 10.7150/ijms.58147

Table 2.

The anti-hyperglycaemic effects of CQ and HCQ in animal studies

Study population Treatment, dose and duration Research outcomes Mechanism of action Reference
Adults with newly diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis and no diabetes (n=1127, aged ≥18 years) HCQ (6.5 mg/kg or 400 mg/day) Risk of diabetes: ↓ - 33
SLE patients with newly diagnosed diabetes mellitus (n=221) HCQ (cumulative dose ≥ 129 g) Risk of diabetes: ↓ - 34
Patients with prediabetes (n=20; aged 45.9 ± 7.32 years) HCQ (6.5 mg/kg/day, 12 weeks) Insulin: ↑, OGTT: ↓ - 35
Patients with diabetes mellitus (n=45, aged 61 ± 13 years) HCQ (dose not mentioned, >12 weeks) HbA1c: ↓ - 36
Patients with T2DM (n=10; aged 43-61 years) CQ (250 mg, four times daily, 3 days) FBG: ↓, fasting plasma insulin: ↑ - 37,38
Patients with T2DM (n=135; aged 18-65 years) HCQ (400 mg/day, 24 weeks) HbA1c: ↓, FBG: ↓, postprandial glucose: ↓ - 39
Sulfonylurea-refractory patients with poorly controlled T2DM (n=69; aged 35-80 years) HCQ (300 mg/day, 6 months) HbA1c: ↓, glucose tolerance: ↑ - 40
Patients with T2DM failing metformin and sulfonylurea (n=15; aged 18-75 years) HCQ (400 mg/day, 4 months) HbA1c: ↓, FBG: ↓ - 41
Obese, non-diabetic subjects (n=13; aged 24-71 years) HCQ (6.5 mg/kg/day, 6 weeks) ISI: ↑, HOMA-IR: ↓ CRP: ↔, IL-6: ↔ 42
Overweight or obese subjects with one or more markers of insulin resistance (n=17; aged 50.1 ± 14.5 years) HCQ (400 mg/day, oral, 13 ± 1 weeks) Insulin sensitivity: ↑, β-cell function: ↑, FBG: ↓, HbA1c: ↓ Adiponectin: ↑ 43
Patients with primary dyslipidaemia (n=127; aged 49.21 ± 9.58 years) HCQ (200 mg/day) + atorvastatin (10 mg/day), 24 weeks HbA1c: ↓, FBG: ↓ hs-CRP: ↓ 44
Patients with MetS (n=25; aged 18-60 years) Placebo (3 weeks) → CQ (80 mg/week, 3 weeks) → CQ (80 mg/day, 3 weeks) → CQ (250 mg/day, 3 weeks) Hepatic glucose production: ↓, hepatic insulin sensitivity: ↑, FBG: ↓, OGTT: ↔ TNF-α: ↓, CRP: ↔, leptin: ↔, adiponectin: ↔ 45
Patients with MetS (n=56; aged 18-70 years) CQ (80 mg/day, 1 year) OGTT: ↔, HOMA-IR: ↔, ISI: ↔ p-JNK: ↓
Women with SLE (n=71; aged 49.8 ± 9.9 years) HCQ (400 mg, duration not mentioned) FBG: ↓, HOMA-IR: ↓ - 46
Women with rheumatoid arthritis (n=31; aged 56.5 ± 9.0 years) HCQ (200 mg, duration not mentioned) FBG: ↓ -
Patients with SLE or rheumatoid arthritis(n=26; aged 46 ± 16 years) HCQ (mean daily dose: 284.6 ± 67.5 mg, 5-6 months) HbA1c: ↓ - 47
Patients with rheumatoid arthritis without diabetes (n= 23; aged 56 ± 11.4 years) HCQ (6.5 mg/kg/day, 8 weeks) ISI: ↔, HOMA-IR: ↔ - 48

Abbreviations: CQ, chloroquine; CRP, C-reactive protein; FBG, fasting blood glucose; HbA1c, glycated haemoglobin; HCQ, hydroxychloroquine; HOMA-IR, homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance; hs-CRP, high sensitivity C-reactive protein; IL-6, interleukin-6; ISI, insulin sensitivity index; MetS, metabolic syndrome; OGTT, oral glucose tolerance test; p-JNK, phosphorylated c-Jun N-terminal kinase; SLE, systemic lupus erythematosus; TNF-α, tumour necrosis factor-alpha; T2DM, type 2 diabetes mellitus; ↑, increase/stimulate; ↓, decrease/inhibit; ↔, no change.