Researchers in Italy said Tuesday
they have discovered an antibody that can fight nerve gas.
The antibody also blocks strong pesticides that often harm
animals, said scientists at the University of Pisa, who
published their study in the international magazine Mabs.
"(Nerve gas) blocks synaptic acetylcholinesterase, which is
an enzyme that regulates the neurotransmitter acetylcholine in
the human body and of many animals," said pharmacologist Paola
Nieri. "The effect has serious consequences on cardiac and
respiratory failure, and can be fatal".
Other antidotes work as scavengers, said Nieri, cleaning up
toxic agents without restoring the acetylcholinesterase activity
when the enzymatic block becomes irreversible.
The researchers say their study has potential implications
in war zones such as Syria, where chemical weapons like sarin
gas may be at play.
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