Hydroxychloroquine Increased Anxiety-Like Behaviors and Disrupted the Expression of Some Related Genes in the Mouse Brain

Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), which has been proposed as a therapeutic or prophylactic drug for COVID-19, has been administered to thousands of individuals with varying efficacy; however, our understanding of its adverse effects is insufficient. It was reported that HCQ induced psychiatric symptoms in a few patients with autoimmune diseases, but it is still uncertain whether HCQ poses a risk to mental health. Therefore, in this study, we treated healthy mice with two different doses of HCQ that are comparable to clinically administered doses for 7 days. Psychiatric-like behaviors and the expression of related molecules in the brain were evaluated at two time points, i.e., 24 h and 10 days after drug administration. We found that HCQ increased anxiety behavior at both 24 h and 10 days. Furthermore, HCQ decreased the mRNA expression of interleukin-1beta, corticotropin-releasing hormone (Crh), a serotonin transporter (Slc6a4), and a microglia maker (Aif1) in the hippocampus and decreased the mRNA expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (Bdnf) in both the hippocampus and amygdala. Lots of these behavioral and molecular changes were sustained beyond 10 days after drug administration, and some of them were dose-dependent. Although this animal study does not prove that HCQ has a similar effect in humans, it indicates that HCQ poses a significant risk to mental health and suggests that further clinical investigation is essential. According to our data, we recommend that HCQ be carefully used as a prophylactic drug in people who are susceptible to mental disorders.