Effect of chloroquine on some carbohydrate metabolic pathways: contents of GHS, ascorbate and lipid peroxidation in the rat.

Adult male rats were treated intraperitoneally with chloroquine (5 mg/kg/day) for 9 days. A reduction in the fasting plasma glucose level by 17.6% and ascorbic acid by 45% were discernable. The treatment caused significant increase in liver lactate dehydrogenase and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activities and reduced the activity of succinate dehydrogenase enzyme. Chloroquine also caused significant reductions in the contents of reduced glutathione and ascorbic acid in the brain and erythrocytes with a significant increase in lipid peroxidation.