Plastic Antibodies Prevent Poisoning in Mouse Model

Synthetic plastic nanoparticles have been shown capable of acting like antibodies to selectively attach and remove a toxic substance from the blood of laboratory mice.

Investigators at the University of California, Irvine (USA) in collaboration with colleagues from the University of Shizuoka (Japan) created plastic analogs of an antibody that recognized the poison melittin. Melittin, a peptide of 26 amino acids, is one of the toxic peptides in bee venom.

The artificial antibodies were produced by incubating melittin together with plastic monomers. A chemical reaction was started that allowed the plastic to polymerize around the molecules of melittin, which were then leached out of the matrix. The result was nanoparticles with cavities that matched the structure of melittin.

The investigators reported in the April 26, 2010, online edition of the Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS) that treating mice that had been injected with a lethal dose of melittin with the synthetic antibodies significantly diminished the mortality and peripheral toxic symptoms of the melittin. In vivo imaging confirmed that the polymer plastic antibodies accelerated clearance of the peptide from the blood and accumulated in the liver.

Commenting on the significance of the results, senior author Dr. Kenneth Shea, professor of medical biochemistry at the University of California, Irvine, said, "This opens the door to serious consideration for these nanoparticles in all applications where antibodies are used.”

Related Links:
University of California, Irvine
University of Shizuoka