Chloroxine (trade name Capitrol; ''Kloroxin'', ''Dichlorchinolinol'', ''chlorquinol'', ''halquinol(s)''); Latin ''cloroxinum, dichlorchinolinolum'') is an

antibacterial An antibiotic is a type of antimicrobial substance active against bacteria. It is the most important type of antibacterial agent for fighting bacterial infections, and antibiotic medications are widely used in the treatment and prevention of ...

drug A drug is any chemical substance that causes a change in an organism's physiology or psychology when consumed. Drugs are typically distinguished from food and substances that provide nutritional support. Consumption of drugs can be via insuffla ...

. Oral formulations (under trade name such as Endiaron) are used in infectious diarrhea, disorders of the intestinal microflora (e.g. after antibiotic treatment),

giardiasis Giardiasis is a parasitic disease caused by ''Giardia duodenalis'' (also known as ''G. lamblia'' and ''G. intestinalis''). Infected individuals who experience symptoms (about 10% have no symptoms) may have diarrhea, abdominal pain, and weight los ...

inflammatory bowel disease Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a group of inflammation, inflammatory conditions of the colon (anatomy), colon and small intestine, Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis being the principal types. Crohn's disease affects the small intestine a ...

. It is also useful for

dandruff Dandruff is a skin condition that mainly affects the scalp. Symptoms include flaking and sometimes mild itchiness. It can result in social or self-esteem problems. A more severe form of the condition, which includes inflammation of the skin, ...

and seborrheic dermatitis., as used in shampoos (Capitrol) and dermal creams like (Valpeda, Triaderm).

Mechanism of action

Chloroxine has bacteriostatic, fungistatic, and antiprotozoal properties. It is effective against ''

Streptococci ''Streptococcus'' is a genus of gram-positive ' (plural ) or spherical bacteria that belongs to the family Streptococcaceae, within the order Lactobacillales (lactic acid bacteria), in the phylum Bacillota. Cell division in streptococci occurs ...

'', '' Staphylococci'', '' Candida'', '' Candida albicans'', ''

Shigella ''Shigella'' is a genus of bacteria that is Gram-negative, facultative anaerobic, non-spore-forming, nonmotile, rod-shaped, and genetically closely related to ''E. coli''. The genus is named after Kiyoshi Shiga, who first discovered it in 1897. ...

'', and Trichomonads.

Adverse effects

Rarely occurs, but may cause nausea and vomiting associated with oral administration. It may also cause skin irritation.

Pregnancy and lactation

The FDA lists chloroxine in Pregnancy Category C (risk cannot be ruled out) because no pregnancy studies on the medication have been performed with animals or humans. For this reason, use of chloroxine oral or topical during pregnancy or when breast-feeding is not recommended.Capitrol - FDA prescribing information
, drugs.com

History

Chloroxine was first prepared in 1888 by A. Hebebrand.

References

{{Xenobiotic-sensing receptor modulators Antibiotics Quinolinols Chloroarenes