Novel Synthetic Porphyrin as a Dual Antidote Against Fire Gas Poisoning

What is it about?

Highly toxic gases such as carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen cyanide (HCN) are produced during building fires. Exposure to these toxins can be fatal. Unfortunately, therapeutic antidotes against simultaneous CO and HCN poisoning are lacking. Now, researchers have invented a synthetic heme-model compound “hemoCD-Twins” which functions as an emergency antidote for CO and HCN mixed gas poisoning. This compound shows immediate antidotal effect and about 85% survival rate and rapid recovery in a mouse model.

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Photo by Nejc Soklič on Unsplash

Photo by Nejc Soklič on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Buildings across the globe are prone to catching fires in unfortunate situations. Other than the flames, the burning materials generate highly toxic carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen cyanide (HCN) gases, which can be fatal upon ingestion. Once inhaled, these gases bind strongly to hemoglobin, cytochromes, and iron containing compounds known as “hemes”, and block normal aerobic respiration. It is believed that once an individual is exposed to these life-threatening toxins, it is impossible to effectively remove them from the body. In fact, at present, there is no therapeutic approach available to overcome simultaneous CO and HCN poisoning. This poses a significant challenge in saving lives of people exposed to toxic gases in building fires. In a recent breakthrough, a team of researchers led by Professor Hiroaki Kitagishi from the Faculty of Science and Engineering, Doshisha University, Japan has developed a synthetic heme-model compound termed “hemoCD-Twins”, that acts as an antidote for CO and HCN poisoning. Prof. Kitagishi and his collaborators have detailed the development of this novel antidote in their recent research article published in PNAS. In saline solution, hemoCD Twins dissolves into two heme models, of which hemoCD-P captures CO very strongly, and hemoCD-I effectively scavenges cyanide (CN-). The team has also demonstrated hemoCD-Twins to be a very effective and rapid antidote against CO and HCN simultaneous poisoning in mice models. They found that in mice, this compound resulted in an 85% survival rate and rapid recovery. Moreover, this dual antidote exhibited very low toxicity and rapid elimination via urinary excretion. In addition, hemoCD-Twins had an immediate antidotal effect, a high degree of safety, and storage stability.Researchers from Japan develop “hemoCD-Twins”, the first effective therapeutic compound to overcome simultaneous carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanide poisoning Highly toxic gases such as carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen cyanide (HCN) are produced during building fires. Exposure to these toxins can be fatal. Unfortunately, therapeutic antidotes against simultaneous CO and HCN poisoning are lacking. Now, researchers have invented a synthetic heme-model compound “hemoCD-Twins” which functions as an emergency antidote for CO and HCN mixed gas poisoning. This compound shows immediate antidotal effect and about 85% survival rate and rapid recovery in a mouse model.

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