Clioquinol

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Clioquinol

Clioquinol is an antifungal drug

Antifungal drug

An antifungal drug is medication used to treat fungi infections such as athlete's foot, ringworm, candidiasis , serious systemic infections such as cryptococcus meningitis, and others....
and antiprotozoal drug. It is neurotoxic in large doses. It is a member of a family of drugs called hydroxyquinolines which inhibit certain enzymes related to DNA replication. The drugs have been found to have activity against both viral

Viral

The term viral is used to describe anything related to virus.Viral may also mean:*See Virality,*Viral phenomenon, such as viral marketing and viral video....
and protozoal infections.

Antiprotozoal use
A 1964 report described the use of Clioquinol in both the treatment and prevention of shigella

Shigella

Shigella is a genus of Gram-negative, Endospore rod-shaped bacterium closely related to Escherichia coli and Salmonella. The causative agent of human shigellosis, Shigella cause disease in primates, but not in other mammals....
infection and Entamoeba histolytica
Entamoeba histolytica

For the infection and disease caused by this parasite, refer to Amoebiasis.Entamoeba histolytica is an anaerobic organism parasitic protozoan, part of the genus Entamoeba....
infection in institutionalized individuals at Sonoma State Hospital in California.

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Encyclopedia

Clioquinol is an antifungal drug

Antifungal drug

Viral

The term viral is used to describe anything related to virus.Viral may also mean:*See Virality,*Viral phenomenon, such as viral marketing and viral video....
and protozoal infections.

Antiprotozoal use

A 1964 report described the use of Clioquinol in both the treatment and prevention of shigella

Shigella

A 2005 reference to its use in treating a Dutch family for Entamoeba histolytica
Entamoeba histolytica

For the infection and disease caused by this parasite, refer to Amoebiasis.Entamoeba histolytica is an anaerobic organism parasitic protozoan, part of the genus Entamoeba....
infection.

A 2004 reference to its use in Denmark in the treatment of Dientamoeba fragilis
Dientamoeba fragilis

Dientamoeba fragilis is a single celled parasite found in the gastrointestinal tract of some humans. In some people it causes gastrointestinal upset while in others it does not....
infection.

A 1979 reference to the use in Zaire
Zaire

The Republic of Zaire was the name of the present Democratic Republic of the Congo between 27 October 1971, and 17 May 1997. The name of Zaire derives from the , itself an adaptation of the Kongo language word nzere or nzadi, or "the river that swallows all rivers", and is often still used to refer to that state, perhaps because "Zai...
in the treatment of Entamoeba histolytica
Entamoeba histolytica

For the infection and disease caused by this parasite, refer to Amoebiasis.Entamoeba histolytica is an anaerobic organism parasitic protozoan, part of the genus Entamoeba....
infection.

Clioquinol and SMON

Clioquinol's use as an antiprotozoal drug has been restricted or discontinued in some countries due to an event in Japan where over 10,000 people developed SMON

Subacute myelo-optic neuropathy

Subacute myelo-optic neuropathy is a Nervous system disease that affects peripheral nerves and the spinal cord as well as the eyes , leading to a disability paralysis, blindness and even death....
(subacute myelo-optic neuropathy

Subacute myelo-optic neuropathy

SMON

In computer networking, SMON is a set of management information base extensions for RMON that allow the monitoring of network switching equipment from a single management workstation in far greater detail than offered by RMON....
event without similar reports. As yet, no explanation exists as to why it produced this reaction, and some researchers have questioned whether clioquinol was the causative agent in the disease, noting that the drug had been used for 20 years prior to the epidemic without incident, and that the SMON cases began to reduce in number prior to the discontinuation of the drug. Theories suggested have included improper dosing, the permitted use of the drug for extended periods of time, and dosing which did not consider the smaller average stature of Japanese. Researchers have also suggested the SMON epidemic could have been due to a viral infection with a Inoue-Melnick virus.

Topical use

Clioquinol is used in the drug Vioform, which is a topical antifungal treatment.

Use in neurodegenerative diseases

Research at UCSF

University of California, San Francisco

The University of California, San Francisco is one of the world's leading centers of health sciences research, patient care, and education. UCSF's medical, pharmacy, dentistry, nursing, and graduate schools are among the top health science professional schools in the world....
indicates that clioquinol appears to block the genetic action of Huntington's disease

Huntington's disease

Huntington's disease, also called Huntington's Chorea , chorea major, or HD, is a genetics Neurodegenerative disease characterized after onset by uncoordinated, jerky body movements and a decline in some mental abilities....
in mice and in cell culture.

Evidence from phase 2 clinical trial

Clinical trial

In health care, clinical trials are conducted to allow safety and efficacy data to be collected for new drugs or devices. These trials can only take place once satisfactory information has been gathered on the quality of the product and its non-clinical safety, and Institutional review board approval is granted in the country where the trial...
s suggested that clioquinol could halt cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease , also called Alzheimer disease, Senile Dementia of the Alzheimer Type or simply Alzheimer's, is the most common form of dementia....
, possibly owing to its ability to act as a chelator

Chelation

Chelation is the binding or complex of a bi- or multidentate ligand. These ligands, which are often organic compounds, are called chelants, chelators, chelating agents, or sequestration....
for copper

Copper

Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29.It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity....
and zinc

Zinc

Zinc is a metallic chemical element with the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is a first-row transition metal of the group 12 element of the periodic table....
ions. This led to development of analogs including PBT2 as potential therapeutic compounds for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

Recent animal studies have shown that clioquinol can reverse the progression of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's

Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that often impairs the sufferer's motor skills and speech, as well as other functions....
and Huntington's diseases. According to Dr. Siegfried Hekimi and colleagues at McGill's

McGill University

McGill University is a Public university#Canada located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university....
Department of Biology, clioquinol acts directly on a protein called Clk-1

Clk-1

The clk-1 gene encodes an enzyme that is necessary for ubiquinone biosynthesis in the worm C. elegans and other eukaryotes. The mouse version of the gene is called mclk1 and the human, fruit fly and yeast homolog COQ7....
, often informally called “clock-1,” and might slow down the aging process. They theorize that this may explain the apparent ability of the drug to be effective in the above conditions, but warn against individuals experimenting with this drug.

Continued use and manufacture around the world

Country	Comments
United States	In August 2004, Prana Biotechnology, an Australian company and P.N Gerolymatos S.A (PNG) agreed to recognize each others rights to market clioquinol in their respective territories, with PNG holding right for European territories, and Prana holding rights for US and Japan. Prana has performed research into the use of hydroxyquinolines drugs in the treatment of Alzheimers disease.
Canada	In 2001, the Canadian company Paladin Labs bought the rights to market Vioform from Novartis. Vioform is licensed for use in Canada as a topical anti-fungal.
Denmark	2004 and 2005 reports describe use in treatment of Dientamoeba fragilis Dientamoeba fragilis *Dientamoeba fragilis* is a single celled parasite found in the gastrointestinal tract of some humans. In some people it causes gastrointestinal upset while in others it does not.... and Entamoeba histolytica Entamoeba histolytica For the infection and disease caused by this parasite, refer to Amoebiasis.Entamoeba histolytica is an anaerobic organism parasitic protozoan, part of the genus Entamoeba.... infection.
India	Manufactured by Salvichem