Proteins Could 'Detox" Pesticides and Sarin Gas
- futurity.org August 1st, 2014
- Source: http://www.futurity.org/protein-neutralize-pesticides-sarin-gas-740822/
Scientists are developing a way to prevent brain damage among people exposed to poisonous chemicals found in pesticides and chemical weapons.
The work, published in the journal ChemBioChem, centers on proteins called phosphotriesterases, which degrade chemicals in a class known as organophosphates.
Organophosphates are found in everything from industrial pesticides to the sarin gas used in chemical warfare. They permanently bond to neurotransmitters in the brain, interfering with their ability to function and causing irreversible damage.
