The major investigative effort is focused on the mechanism action and the site of these toxins and to develop antidotes against them. These studies utilize isolated cells, tissue culture, tissue slices, the isolated perfused rat liver, and the extrapolation from in vivo model. These enzymes have been incorporated into various delivery systems such as resealed annealed red blood cells, sterically stabilized liposomes, PEG polymeric carriers, and other dentrimers. This research is concerned with the mechanism of toxicity and mechanism of antagonism using fast catalytic enzymes encapsulated within various carrier systems. This is a new, conceptual approach to drug antagonism and combines recent biotechnology, molecular biology with recent nanostructure chemistry.
Additional studies are concerned with the sites and mechanisms of cyanide antagonism.
The nitrite mechanism in sequestration of cyanide as cyanomethemoglobin is probably not the mechanism. Also the possible role of rhodanese in the mechanism is questioned. Also attempts are being made in sulfide poisoning to isolate and purify enzymes from the fish living in the hydrothermal vents in the ocean floor, as they are resistant to hydrogen sulfide. Presently there is no antidote for H 2 S and frequent exposers are encountered. Attempts are being made to make man resistant to H 2 S, like certain fish, by preparing recombinant fish enzymes, encapsulating them in cell carriers and administering them to men.