RSS Feeds

Email a Friend Printer Friendly

Deadly gas can protect the heart

August 18, 2003

Joint release from Northwick Park Institute for Medical Research and the University of Sheffield

Scientists have developed a new technology based on carbon monoxide delivery that may protect the heart following a heart attack and prevent rejection of transplanted organs.

Researchers from Northwick Park Institute of Medical Research (NPIMR) and the University of Sheffield have developed carbon monoxide-releasing molecules (CO-RMs) which release low levels of carbon monoxide into the body. Although carbon monoxide can be lethal when breathed at high doses, it is made at low concentrations by all the cells in the body and regulates many processes in the cardiovascular, nervous and immune systems. For example, carbon monoxide in the vascular system helps blood vessels to open, which in turn lowers high blood pressure.

CORM-3 is a water-soluble form of CO-RM. Research has shown that CORM-3 releases carbon monoxide in a controlled manner and helps protect heart cells against stress and lack of oxygen, conditions normally occurring during a heart attack. The team also found that CORM-3 prolongs the survival time of transplanted organs, reducing the risk of them being rejected.

Dr Roberto Motterlini, Head of the Vascular Biology Unit at NPIMR, explains: "We grew heart cells in the laboratory, and then starved them of oxygen for 24 hours. Those cells subsequently grown in the presence of CORM-3 recovered more quickly and were less damaged than those not treated by the drug. We repeated the tests using whole hearts and found that hearts treated with CORM-3 showed significantly less muscle damage and improved myocardial performance."

Professor Brian Mann, from the University of Sheffield says, "CORM-3 shows real promise as a new drug to help heart disease, organ transplantation, and as an anti-inflammatory drug. The potential therapeutic applications of CO-RMs are huge, considering the wide range of physiological activities of carbon monoxide seen in experimental models."

Carbon monoxide may also offer other health benefits that scientists can harness. Dr. Motterlini commented, "In the past carbon monoxide has been notoriously difficult to use therapeutically. In gas form it is difficult to target a specific area of the body to treat because carbon monoxide is toxic and damages cells when inhaled for long periods of time. CO-RMs will allow researchers to fully explore the biological function of carbon monoxide and its possibilities as a therapeutic agent".

Professor Colin Green, Director of NPIMR and a Director of hemoCORM, the company jointly established by NPIMR and the University of Sheffield to develop CO-RMs commercially, says, "This research could open up a whole new world of possibilities for treating medical problems including heart disease, stroke and brain disorders. CORM-3 is a marvellous drug, but potentially it could be just the beginning."

Sheffield, University of