Evidence mapPaperPMID 41535311Full record

ArticleScientific reports2026

Evaluation of the cardiopulmonary effects of repurposed COVID-19 therapeutics in healthy rats.

Onural Ozhan, Azibe Yildiz, Busra Bakar, Ahmet Ulu, Zeynep Kucukakcali, Elif Karaca, Nigar Vardi, Burhan Ates, Hakan Parlakpinar

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Onural OzhanFaculty of Medicine, Department of Medical Pharmacology, Inonu University, Malatya, 44280, Turkey. onural.ozhan@inonu.edu.tr.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9018-7849
Azibe YildizFaculty of Medicine, Department of Histology and Embryology, Inonu University, Malatya, Turkey.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5686-7867
Busra BakarFaculty of Arts and Sciences, Department of Biochemistry, Inonu University, Malatya, Turkey.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7793-1119
Ahmet UluFaculty of Arts and Sciences, Department of Biochemistry, Inonu University, Malatya, Turkey.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4447-6233
Zeynep KucukakcaliFaculty of Medicine, Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, Inonu University, Malatya, Turkey.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7956-9272
Elif KaracaFaculty of Medicine, Department of Histology and Embryology, Inonu University, Malatya, Turkey.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1723-2556
Nigar VardiFaculty of Medicine, Department of Histology and Embryology, Inonu University, Malatya, Turkey.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0576-1696
Burhan AtesFaculty of Arts and Sciences, Department of Biochemistry, Inonu University, Malatya, Turkey.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6080-229X
Hakan ParlakpinarFaculty of Medicine, Department of Medical Pharmacology, Inonu University, Malatya, 44280, Turkey.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9497-3468

Funding

İnönü Üniversitesi TOA-2020-2347
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Hydroxychloroquine (HCLQ), favipiravir (FAVI), molnupiravir (MOL) and dexamethasone (DEX) are recently used drugs, some of which are currently used in the treatment of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19). We aimed to investigate the cardiovascular and pulmonary effects of MOL, HCLQ, FAVI and DEX-drugs repurposed or used in COVID-19 treatment-independently of SARS-CoV-2 infection, using a healthy rat model. Wistar albino rats were divided into seven groups by simple randomization. (1) Control, (2) HCLQ, (3) FAVI, (4) MOL, (5) HCLQ + FAVI, (6) MOL + DEX, (7) HCLQ + FAVI + DEX. The doses of drugs to be administered to the experimental groups were adapted to rat doses with reference to the clinical treatment protocol. At the end of the experimental period, hemodynamic parameters of the rats were measured invasively. After that, the heart, lung and thoracic aortic tissues of the rats were removed and evaluated biochemically, histopathologically and immunohistochemically. When the hemodynamic parameters of the rats were compared, a statistically significant difference was found between the groups only in the PR interval (p < 0.001). Compared to the control group, the histopathologic changes observed in the HCLQ + FAVI + DEX group were significantly higher (p < 0.05), while all other groups had a normal histologic appearance similar to the control group. Vimentin immunoreactivity was significantly higher in MOL, HCLQ + FAVI and MOL + DEX groups compared to the other groups (p < 0.05). Receptor interacting protein kinase 3 immunoreactivity observed in the cytoplasm of cardiomyocytes was significantly higher in the HCLQ + FAVI group compared to all other groups except the FAVI group (p < 0.05). In contrast, caspase-3 immunoreactivity was found to be significantly higher in the FAVI group compared to the control group (p < 0.05). Drugs used alone or in combination in the treatment of COVID-19 show immunoreactions using different pathways related to apoptosis and necroptosis. Further studies are needed to elucidate the effects of these drugs.

Indexed as

Antiviral AgentsCOVID-19 Drug TreatmentHeartLungAmidesAnimalsCOVID-19DexamethasoneDisease Models, AnimalHemodynamicsHydroxychloroquineMalePyrazinesRatsRats, WistarSARS-CoV-2AmidesAntiviral AgentsDexamethasonefavipiravirHydroxychloroquinePyrazinesCOVID-19DexamethasoneFavipiravirHydroxychloroquineMolnupiravir

Identifiers

PMID41535311
PMCPMC12804812

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.