Chemists from the Lomonosov Moscow State University generated bio-scavenger nanoparticles capable of neutralizing the most powerful types of chemical weapons, such as VX gas and pesticides, the scientists announced in an article published in the Journal of Controlled Release.

“The simplicity of our approach is very important: our compounds are generated by simply mixing the aqueous solutions of a cleaning enzyme and safe biocompatible polymer. The compound generates itself due to the electrostatic interactions between the protein and the polymer,” said Alexander Kabanov of Moscow State University.

The most toxic types of chemical weapons capable of killing a person within only minutes at minimum levels of concentration belong to the class of the so-called organophosphorus chemical compounds. These substances were for the first time synthesized in Nazi Germany in the late 1930s. The compounds were effectively weaponized in the mid-twentieth-century when the most dangerous types of these substances – the British VX nerve gas and its Soviet analog VR were produced.

All stocks of VX, VR, sarin, and other dangerous gases are to be destroyed in accordance with the Chemical Weapons Convention that banned weaponized gasses worldwide as of 1997. Only Russia and the United States have these substances; however, international security experts suspect that these gases are likely to be found in a number of states in the Middle East and Southern Asia. Besides, less dangerous versions of other organophosphorus substances continue to be used as pesticides.

Therefore, as scientists say, the problem of neutralizing these poisons and pesticides is still an important issue for scientists. Russian chemists suggest using nanoparticles, the so-called hydrolase nano-enzymes discovered with the participation of Mr. Kabanov’s group in the 1990s in the U.S.

The enzymes are placed in hollow nanoparticles from fatty molecules or other organic compounds. These carrier shells are filled with medicine which is delivered to just the right location within the person’s body. For example, in chemotherapy, the medication is delivered directly to the cancerous tumors. The nanoparticle membranes are gradually dissolved, which releases the molecules they contain without affecting the healthy tissues.

The scientific team of Professor Kabanov packed these nanoparticles for the delivery of special enzymes developed at the Moscow State University for neutralizing sarin and other organophosphorus bonds. The enzymes are capable of quickly neutralizing the molecules of neuroparalytic poisons, but are prone to succumb to the immune system once introduced into the human body. Another disadvantage is that the antidote is unstable in its chemical composition and almost completely breaks itself up in the course of one month even at zero degrees.

By inserting the molecules of this substance into nanoparticles Professor Kabanov and his colleagues sharply slowed down the process of its destruction in the human body. Thus, the concentration of the enzymes delivered to the vital organs is significantly augmented, making it suitable for acting as an antidote against chemical warfare agents and pesticides. The shelf life of the antidotes stored in nanoparticles increases to three years.

The scientists tested the effectiveness of these nanoparticles on rats, whose organisms were introduced to lethal doses of two substances, namely the Paraoxon pesticide and VX gas. The ingestion of the nanoparticles prior to this experiment and right after the introduction of the poison saved all rats from the pesticide, and about 80 percent of the animals from the neuroparalytic substance, all the while all subjects in the control group did not survive.

According to the scientists, the simplicity and the technological effectiveness of their methodology in combination with the results achieved give hope that this drug can be successful in treating humans. For example, the availability of this medication to doctors during the terrorist attacks in 2013 in Damascus could have saved lives to hundreds of Syrians. In a similar manner, it is possible to save hundreds of thousands of other people who die every year of pesticide poisoning.