Latest news with #ReactiveOxygenSpecies
New Indian Express
2 days ago
- Health
- New Indian Express
IISc Bengaluru develops nanozymes to prevent excess clotting
BENGALURU: A team of researchers from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, have developed a new method which will help control abnormal blood clotting conditions, including Pulmonary Thromboembolism (PTE). The team from Department of Inorganic and Physical Chemistry have developed an artificial metal-based nanosyme that mimics the activity of natural antioxidant enzymes which help in clotting blood. The research paper — Vanadia Nanozymes Inhibit Platelet Aggregation, Modulate Signaling Pathways and Prevent Pulmonary Embolism in Mice — published on May 11 was made public on Tuesday. It explained that 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 is known as blood clotting cascade (haemostasis). But when this does not happen in conditions like PTE or diseases like Covid-19, the oxidative stress and levels of toxic Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) increases, 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. The nanomaterials developed by the researchers mimic the activity of natural antioxidant enzymes and they control the ROS levels, thereby preventing the over-activation of platelets that leads to excess clot formation or thrombosis, the report stated. The team synthesised redox active nanomaterials of different sizes, shapes and morphologies through 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 researchers explained in the report. Sherin GR, PhD student and co-author of the paper said, they found spherical-shaped vanadium pentoxide nanozymes were the most efficient. These material 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,' added G Mugesh, Professor, and co-author of the paper.
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.
Indian Express
7 days ago
- Health
- Indian Express
Going beyond AQI: study shows why toxicity matters in measuring air pollution
The ability of PM2.5 air pollutants to cause damage to cells increases sharply after concentration levels cross a certain threshold value, new research has found. For Kolkata, where the study was carried out, this threshold value is about 70 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m³), the study found. Once the PM2.5 concentration crosses this level, its toxicity — or the potential to cause damage to the human body — increases sharply, and continues to rise until the concentration reaches about 130 µg/m³. Toxicity stabilises after that, and further increases in concentration do not lead to an appreciable rise in damage potential. The study, by Abhijit Chatterjee of the Bose Institute, Kolkata, and two of his former PhD students, Abhinandan Ghosh and Monami Dutta, is the first attempt at investigating how toxicity of air pollution changes with concentration levels in Indian cities. ('Contrasting features of winter-time PM2.5 pollution and PM2.5-toxicity based on oxidative potential: A long-term (2016–2023) study over Kolkata megacity at eastern Indo-Gangetic Plain', Science of the Total Environment, December 2024) This is not to suggest that at concentrations below 70 µg/m³ in Kolkata, air pollution is benign and does not pose any threat to human health. Pollution is damaging at lower concentrations as well, but it becomes much more toxic after crossing the threshold value. At lower concentrations, the body copes better with the adverse impacts of inhaling pollutants. After the threshold level, however, the body's defence mechanisms are overwhelmed, and the pollutants are able to cause greater damage to cells, particularly the respiratory systems which are affected first. When pollutants are inhaled, the body's immune system tends to fight back through the release of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS), which are chemicals used by immune cells to neutralise foreign substances. When larger concentrations of pollutants are inhaled, greater amounts of ROS are released. The problem is ROS is damaging for the body's cells as well. Therefore, as a natural counter-defence mechanism, the body produces another set of chemicals, called antioxidants, that protect the cells against ROS. However, antioxidants are present in small quantities, and take time to build up. So, while they are able to effectively deal with smaller amounts of ROS, they are helpless when ROS is produced in large amounts. This leads to an imbalance in the body, a situation called oxidative stress, which leaves the internal cells prone to damage from excess ROS. 'The PM2.5 pollution level is well understood and established in every city in India… We wanted to see how the level of toxicity increases with the increase in pollution level,' Prof Chatterjee said. 'We know that when PM levels increase, there are several consequences, such as haze, dust, and visibility reduction. But how far does toxicity surge? We did not know. Though India has its standards of PM2.5 and PM10, we don't have a threshold value in terms of oxidative stress in the human body. That's where we wanted to determine the standard,' he said. According to Prof Chatterjee, 'When the PM2.5 concentration level exceeds about 70 µg/m³, its potential to create oxidative stress increases steeply, mainly because of the presence of some specific chemical components like those coming from biomass or solid waste burning. The components from vehicular emissions also help increase oxidative stress, but this is much less compared to biomass burning.' The threshold levels at which toxicity sees a sharp rise is expected to vary from city to city, mainly due to the differences in the composition of the air pollutants. In some cities, vehicular emissions might be the biggest contributor to pollution; in other places, biomass burning might be significant. Air quality standards are framed in terms of their concentration, not toxicity. In India, for example, a PM2.5 concentration level of 40 µg/m³, averaged over a year, is considered safe. On a daily basis, a concentration of 60 µg/m³ is considered safe. However, the harmful impacts of air pollution on human health depend not just on concentration, but also on toxicity, which takes into account factors like chemical composition of pollutants. In Kolkata, for example, the threat that annual PM2.5 concentrations of 50 or 60 µg/m³ poses is not going to be very different from the one posed by a concentration of 30-40 µg/m³. But alarm bells must go off once a level of 70 µg/m³ is reached. In other cities, this would be different. This study can thus make the case for toxicity-based air quality standards, which can trigger targeted warnings/emergency actions once the threshold concentration is breached. Dipanita Nath is interested in the climate crisis and sustainability. She has written extensively on social trends, heritage, theatre and startups. She has worked with major news organizations such as Hindustan Times, The Times of India and Mint. ... Read More
The Market Online
28-04-2025
- Business
- The Market Online
Theralase uncovers new use-case for flagship drug
Healthcare stock Theralase Technologies (TSXV:TLT) recently discovered that its lead drug candidate, Ruvidar, has the potential to inhibit deubiquitinating enzymes, which are linked to certain cancers and neurodegenerative diseases Theralase is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company dedicated to developing light, radiation, sound and/or drug-activated small molecule compounds, associated drug formulations and the systems that activate them to destroy various cancers, bacteria and viruses Theralase stock has added 18.75 per cent year-over-year but remains down by 9.52 per cent since 2020 Theralase Technologies (TSXV:TLT), a healthcare stock focused on treating select cancers, bacteria and viruses, recently discovered that its lead drug candidate, Ruvidar, has the potential to inhibit deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs), which are linked to certain cancers and neurodegenerative diseases. Ruvidar has been shown to induce oxidative stress in cancer cells through the production of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS), facilitating their destruction without affecting healthy cells. The drug – alone and/or in combination with Transferrin to produce the compound Rutherrin -has delivered promising results against bladder cancer, lung cancer, as well as various viruses, including recent breakthroughs in the treatment of herpes. The chart below depicts Ruvidar's latest potential use-case as a DUBs inhibitor: Correlation between administration of Ruvidar and reduction in DUBs activity. According to Monday's news release, 'DUBs cause cellular damage by removing ubiquitin or ubiquitin-like molecules from target proteins.' These molecules are found in all eukaryotic cells – encompassing animals, plants and humans – playing 'an essential role in regulating gene expression, DNA repair, cytokine signaling, cell metabolism, cell cycle and cell death.' Theralase's study looks to build upon recent evidence that the alteration of DUBs is a key cause behind cancer drug resistance. Leadership insights 'Our latest research provides compelling evidence that Ruvidar not only induces oxidative stress through the production of ROS to destroy cancer cells, but also directly inhibits DUBs activity – a key host mechanism exploited by the cancer cell to evade immune defenses,' Mark Roufaiel, research scientist at Theralase, said in a statement. 'This dual mechanism positions Ruvidar as a promising therapeutic candidate, particularly against cancers, where traditional chemotherapeutics demonstrate limited effectiveness.' 'With the increasing prevalence of chemoradiotherapy-resistant cancers, Ruvidar, as an effective DUBs inhibitor, may be indispensable clinically to be used as a combinational therapy with various chemotherapy drugs and/or radiotherapy to provide a safe and effective treatment against various forms of chemoradiotherapy-resistant cancers,' commented Arkady Mandel, Theralase's chief scientific officer. 'The discovery of Ruvidar's effectiveness against DUBs is a notable milestone in the development of Theralase's small-molecule program and can be used for treating cancer, but could be expanded far beyond this to the treatment of age-associated medical conditions, various neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Multiple Sclerosis, as well as to effectively combat various infectious diseases.' 'According to recent peer-reviewed research, reducing DUBs plays a very important role in the war against cancer and its innate ability to build up drug resistance,' added Roger DuMoulin-White, Theralase's president and chief executive officer. 'This latest research reinforces an additional mechanism of action beyond direct cancer destruction and indirect immune stimulation, stripping away one of cancer's final defence mechanisms. As Theralase pursues clinical development of Ruvidar for numerous cancers, such as brain and lung cancer, I look forward to reporting out on the clinical safety and efficacy of these programs.' About Theralase Technologies Theralase is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company dedicated to developing light, radiation, sound and/or drug-activated small molecule compounds, associated drug formulations and the systems that activate them to destroy various cancers, bacteria and viruses. Theralase stock (TSXV:TLT) last traded at C$0.19 per share. The stock has added 18.75 per cent year-over-year but remains down by 9.52 per cent since 2020. Join the discussion: Find out what everybody's saying about this healthcare stock on the Theralase Technologies Inc. Bullboard and check out Stockhouse's stock forums and message boards. The material provided in this article is for information only and should not be treated as investment advice. For full disclaimer information, please click here. (Top image, generated by AI: Adobe Stock)
