An Outlook on Nanocarriers to Improve Drug Efficacy of Chloroquine against SARS-CoV-2

The sudden emergence of SARS-CoV-2 at the end of last year and its subsequent attainment of pandemic proportions have not only paralyzed the healthcare system but also destabilized the world economy due to subdued human activity in the past few months. Scientists the world over have been fervently working on finding a cure for the viral infection. Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine are amongst the most popular medicines that are being considered as a counter to the SARS-CoV-2. However, the clinical trials of the drug both as a preventive for frontline healthcare professionals and as a cure for the infected have yielded mixed results. This is mainly due to the cardiotoxicity induced by the drug via QT prolongation when administered in high dosages. The prescription of the drug is further inadvisable if patients have been prescribed other QT prolonging drugs like azithromycin or have a known cardiac history. The authors have extensively studied literature on chloroquine mechanism of action and the successful use of nanocarriers as drug delivery vehicles against different viruses, malarial infections and in cancer therapy. The combination of nano-carrier and chloroquine/hydroxychloroquine is expected to overcome the limitations of the use of free chloroquine/hydroxychloroquine via increased drug efficacy and thus decreased chances of lethality arising from cardiotoxicity.