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Delivery of therapeutic carbon monoxide by gas-entrapping materials
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Delivery of therapeutic carbon monoxide by gas-entrapping materials

James D Byrne, David Gallo, Hannah Boyce, Sarah L Becker, Kristi M Kezar, Alicia T Cotoia, Vivian R Feig, Aaron Lopes, Eva Csizmadia, Maria Serena Longhi, …
Science translational medicine, Vol.14(651), pp.eabl4135-eabl4135
06/29/2022
DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.abl4135
PMCID: PMC9576196
PMID: 35767653
url
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/9576196View
Open Access

Abstract

Carbon monoxide (CO) has long been considered a toxic gas but is now a recognized bioactive gasotransmitter with potent immunomodulatory effects. Although inhaled CO is currently under investigation for use in patients with lung disease, this mode of administration can present clinical challenges. The capacity to deliver CO directly and safely to the gastrointestinal (GI) tract could transform the management of diseases affecting the GI mucosa such as inflammatory bowel disease or radiation injury. To address this unmet need, inspired by molecular gastronomy techniques, we have developed a family of gas-entrapping materials (GEMs) for delivery of CO to the GI tract. We show highly tunable and potent delivery of CO, achieving clinically relevant CO concentrations in vivo in rodent and swine models. To support the potential range of applications of foam GEMs, we evaluated the system in three distinct disease models. We show that a GEM containing CO dose-dependently reduced acetaminophen-induced hepatocellular injury, dampened colitis-associated inflammation and oxidative tissue injury, and mitigated radiation-induced gut epithelial damage in rodents. Collectively, foam GEMs have potential paradigm-shifting implications for the safe therapeutic use of CO across a range of indications.

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