Charcoal is a weapon to combat superoxide-induced diseases, injuries

Artificial enzymes made from treated charcoal could have the power to reduce harmful levels of superoxides, radical oxygen ions that are toxic in high concentrations.

The nanozymes developed by a team at the Texas Medical Center are highly effective antioxidants that break down the reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced in abundance in response to injury or stroke.

The researchers suggested the materials, described in the American Chemical Society journal. Nano ACS Applied Materials, could help the treatment of patients with COVID-19.

Highly soluble, biocompatible carbon is a superoxide dismutase, and was synthesized and tested by scientists at Rice University, the McGovern School of Medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center and the Center for Health Sciences at Texas A&M.

Superoxide dismutases, or SOD, dismantle ROS into ordinary molecular oxygen and hydrogen peroxide. In the project co-led by chemist James Rice, James Tour, the above materials were successfully tested to determine their ability to activate the process, including graphene quantum dots extracted from carbon and hydrophilic polyethylene glycol-carbon groups made from carbon nanotubes. carbon.

They have now discovered that oxidized carbon nanoparticles are not only effective antioxidants, but can also be made from a source of activated carbon that is inexpensive, certified by Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), and is already being used in humans. to treat acute poisoning.

“The fact that these nanozymes are made from a GMP source opens the door for drug makers,” said Tour, who led the project with A&M neurologist Thomas Kent and UTHealth biochemist Ah-Lim Tsai. “While carbon was effective, one problem is that it can have a variety of toxic metal elements and impurities that are not consistent across samples. And pools made of carbon nanotubes are very expensive.”

Disc-shaped nanozymes are prepared from oxidized medical grade charcoal powder by treatment with highly concentrated nitric acid. Nanozymes are packed with functional oxygen-containing groups that destroy superoxides in solution.

Tour noted that nanozymes can pass through the membranes of cells’ mitochondria to shut down a major source of free radicals without killing the cells themselves. “We published an article on this recently,” he said. “This seems to be really important why they work so well in traumatic brain injuries and strokes.”

The researchers noted that it may be worth studying the application of their nanozymes to treat cytokine storms, an excessive immune system response to infection, suspected of contributing to tissue and organ damage in patients with COVID-19.

“While there is speculation that these particles will be useful in COVID-19, if administered correctly, they could reduce the harmful radicals that accompany the cytokine storm and could be chemically modified to reduce other characteristics that cause injury from this disease,” Kent said.