Feb-21-13
A new nanostructured enzyme that has been shown to lower blood levels in intoxicated mice could lead to less mouse parties and shows promise as a sort of alcohol antidote.
Alcohol is broken down by enzymes in the liver, but it takes some time for the liver to produce the enzymes—and during that lag we become intoxicated.
To reduce the lag as well as stress on the liver, researchers in California developed an enzyme injection by packing three complementary enzymes into a nano-capsule made of very thin polymer. When mice were given alcohol along with the enzyme injection, their blood-alcohol concentration was lowered drastically within 30-minute increments. In addition, tests on intoxicated mice showed a reduction in the enzyme alanine transaminase, a biomarker for liver damage.
Besides applications in alcohol treatment, the new method of tailoring enzymes could be used to develop treatments for other ailments.
Image: Nature/Yunfeng Lu et al
Three enzymes are combined with a DNA scaffold along with their enzymatic inhibitors, leading to a triple-compound architecture. A thin polymer is grown around the enzymes, encapsulating them in a sort of nano-pill. Enzymes working in close proximity ensures they can clean up after each other's toxic byproducts.
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