ORLANDO, Fla., Oct. 29 (UPI) — More than a quarter of the two million annual visits to emergency rooms for misuse or abuse of drugs involve cocaine. Without any treatment specifically for overdose of cocaine, health complications as a result of abusing the drug — cardiovascular, neurological, and gastrointestinal issues are possible — can be difficult to prevent.
Researchers from the University of Kentucky, at the annual meeting of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists, presented early results from tests with an enzyme they developed, E12-7Fc-M, to quickly eliminate cocaine in the bodies of mice and rats.
The UK researchers already had designed cocaine hydrolases, or CocHs, which improve the body’s ability to break down cocaine. The goal of the research is to mitigate an overdose by eliminating the drug from the body. CocHs, using human serum albumin as a carrier protein, are currently in a Phase II clinical trial with humans. The drug lasts about eight hours in rats and between 43 and 77 hours in humans.
In the new study, the researchers sought to improve the amount of time the molecule stays active in the body, as well as improving its efficiency at breaking down cocaine.
Testing two new formulations, E12-7Fc-M3 and E30-7Fc-M3, the researchers found they improved on the original significantly. A small dose of E12-7Fc-M3, 0.25 mg at first and then multiple 5 mg doses, stayed in rat systems for about 110 hours and accelerated cocaine hydrolysis in rats for 20 days.
A full 2.5 mg dose of E30-7Fc-M3 completely eliminated 25 mg of cocaine-induced hyperactivity in mice for at least 7 days, making cocaine act no different than saline in their bodies.
“This next stage of our research is promising, showing that the enzyme has extended function in small animal models and potentially even longer in humans,” said Dr. Chang-Guo Zhan, a professor at the University of Kentucky, in a press release. “We envision that this therapy could eventually become a viable treatment option in emergency rooms for people who overdose on cocaine.”
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