Latest news with #Mugesh
Time of India
2 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
IISc scientists create artificial enzyme to tackle blood clots
Bengaluru: Researchers from Indian Institute of Science ( IISc ) have created a novel metal-based nanozyme that could help prevent abnormal blood clotting linked to conditions such as pulmonary thromboembolism - when a blood clot, often originating from a deep vein in the leg, travels through the bloodstream and lodges in the lungs, obstructing blood flow. The artificial enzyme imitates natural antioxidant enzymes and works by controlling levels of toxic reactive oxygen species, which can trigger excessive platelet activation and dangerous clot formation. " Blood clots normally form as a protective response when blood vessels are injured. However, in diseases like Covid-19 or pulmonary thromboembolism, this process can go into overdrive, creating excess clots that block blood vessels and contribute to thrombosis ," IISc said Tuesday. The research team, led by Prof G Mugesh from the department of inorganic and physical chemistry, tested various nanomaterials before identifying "spherical vanadium pentoxide nanozymes" as the most effective. These materials mimic glutathione peroxidase, a natural enzyme that reduces oxidative stress. "The unique chemistry of the vanadium metal is crucial because the redox reactions that reduce reactive oxygen species levels are happening on the surface of the vanadium nanomaterial," Prof Mugesh explained. Tests on human blood platelets showed the nanozymes successfully prevented excessive clot formation. When injected into mice with pulmonary thromboembolism, the treatment significantly reduced thrombosis and improved survival rates, with no toxic effects observed over five days. Unlike conventional anti-clotting drugs, which can cause dangerous bleeding as a side effect, IISc said, the nanozymes don't interfere with normal blood clotting processes. "This means they won't cause bleeding complications that are a major concern with current therapies," PhD student Bidare N Sharath Babu, one of the study's authors, said. The team plans to investigate whether the nanozyme could stop ischaemic stroke, another condition caused by blocked blood vessels. Professor Mugesh expressed optimism about the potential human clinical trials.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
Indian Institute of Science scientists create artificial enzyme to tackle deadly blood clots
Bengaluru: Researchers from the Indian Institute of Science ( ) have created a novel metal-based nanozyme that could help prevent abnormal blood clotting linked to conditions such as pulmonary thromboembolism — when a blood clot, often originating from a deep vein in the leg, travels through the bloodstream and lodges in the lungs, obstructing blood flow. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The artificial enzyme imitates natural antioxidant enzymes and works by controlling levels of toxic reactive oxygen species, which can trigger excessive platelet activation and dangerous clot formation. "Blood clots normally form as a protective response when blood vessels are injured. However, in diseases like Covid-19 or pulmonary thromboembolism, this process can go into overdrive, creating excess clots that block blood vessels and contribute to thrombosis," IISc said Tuesday. The research team, led by Prof G Mugesh from the department of inorganic and physical chemistry, tested various nanomaterials before identifying "spherical vanadium pentoxide nanozymes" as the most effective. These materials mimic glutathione peroxidase, a natural enzyme that reduces oxidative stress. "The unique chemistry of the vanadium metal is crucial because the redox reactions that reduce reactive oxygen species levels are happening on the surface of the vanadium nanomaterial," Prof Mugesh explained. Tests on human blood platelets showed the nanozymes successfully prevented excessive clot formation. When injected into mice with pulmonary thromboembolism, the treatment significantly reduced thrombosis and improved survival rates, with no toxic effects observed over five days. Unlike conventional anti-clotting drugs, which can cause dangerous bleeding as a side effect, IISc said, the nanozymes don't interfere with normal blood clotting processes. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "The nanozymes modulate the redox signalling and don't interfere with normal blood clotting. This means they won't cause bleeding complications that are a major concern with current therapies," PhD student Bidare N Sharath Babu, one of the study's authors, said. The team now plans to investigate whether the nanozyme could prevent ischaemic stroke, another condition caused by blocked blood vessels. Professor Mugesh expressed optimism about the potential human clinical trials, noting that the experiments used human platelets with successful results.
The Hindu
3 days ago
- Health
- The Hindu
IISc researchers develop novel nanozyme which prevents excess clotting
Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc.) have developed an artificial metal-based nanozyme that can potentially be used to clamp down on abnormal blood clotting caused by conditions like pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE). According to IISc., under normal circumstances, when a blood vessel is injured, specialised blood cells called platelets get activated, and cluster together around the vessel to form protective blood clots. This process, known as the blood clotting cascade (haemostasis), involves a complex series of protein interactions triggered by signals from physiological agonists (chemicals), such as collagen and thrombin. However, when these signals go haywire in conditions like PTE or diseases like COVID-19, oxidative stress and levels of toxic Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) increase, leading to over-activation of platelets. This triggers the formation of excess clots in the blood vessel, contributing to thrombosis, a major cause of morbidity and mortality. To tackle this challenge, researchers led by G. Mugesh, professor in the Department of Inorganic and Physical Chemistry, have developed nanomaterials that mimic the activity of natural antioxidant enzymes, which scavenge reactive oxidative molecules. These nanozymes work by controlling ROS levels, thereby preventing the over-activation of platelets that leads to excess clot formation or thrombosis. The team synthesised redox active nanomaterials of different sizes, shapes, and morphologies via a series of controlled chemical reactions starting from small building blocks. They then isolated platelets from human blood, activated them using physiological agonists, and tested how effectively the different nanozymes could prevent excess platelet aggregation. The team found that spherical-shaped vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) nanozymes were the most efficient. These materials mimic a natural antioxidant enzyme called glutathione peroxidase to reduce oxidative stress. 'The unique chemistry of the vanadium metal is crucial because the redox reactions that reduce ROS levels are happening on the surface of the vanadium nanomaterial,' said Prof. Mugesh. The team injected the nanozyme in a mouse model of PTE. They found that it significantly reduced thrombosis and increased the animals' survival rates. They also observed the weight, behaviour, and blood parameters of the animal for up to five days after injecting the nanozyme, and did not find any toxic effects. The team now plans to explore the efficacy of the nanozyme in preventing ischemic stroke, which is also caused by clogging of blood vessels. 'We are hopeful about clinical studies in humans because we have done our experiments with human platelets, and they worked,' said Prof. Mugesh.
