• Gulcin Ercan, Ejder Saylav Bora, Osman Sezer Çınaroğlu, Rezan Karaali, and Oytun Erbas.
• Department of General Surgery, Sultan 2. Abdulhamid Han Educational and Research Hospital, Istanbul Provincial Directorate of Health, Istanbul-Türkiye.
• Ulus Travma Acil Cerrahi Derg. 2024 Jul 1; 30 (7): 465471465-471.

BackgroundThis 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).MethodsThree 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.ResultsIn 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.ConclusionHCQ may be an effective and safe option to mitigate the severe progression of ARDS.

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