The US Military Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) funded an interesting study aimed at finding innovative ways to protect soldiers from infections in combat conditions, according to an online edition for girls and women aged 14 to 35. Pannochka. net The novelty offered by scientists has occurred not from a bowl of Petri, and from tropical bogs of America.
The source of biological protection was the blood of an alligator.
The agency's project is designed for 5 years and costs $ 7.57 million. In the fourth year of research, a group of scientists from the George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, published encouraging results in the PLOS ONE. The team found a way to protect wounded soldiers from infections and biological weapons that can be used on the battlefield. Researchers believe that their discovery will be useful for civilians as well.
The researcher Monique van Hoek, professor of the School of System Biology and the National Center for Biological Protection and Infectious Diseases of the United States, said: "We hope that this will form the basis of completely new methods of treatment".
The group drew attention to alligators who live in bacteria-swarming bogs and are relatively rarely sick with infectious diseases. The researchers suspected antimicrobial peptides (small proteins) that are part of the immunity of higher organisms. Unlike antibodies that are produced to fight highly defined pathogens, these antimicrobial peptides have a very wide spectrum of action.
"Such immunity may work worse than specific antibodies, but this is enough. We are interested in these proteins, because this is a natural way to fight the most diverse bacteria and viruses that we meet every day. Each our breath, every touch is a potential contact with thousands of bacteria. We need to cope with this, "explains Dr. van Hoech.
Alligator blood remedy.
American scientists have analyzed blood samples that were provided by the University of Florida and a farm of alligators at the St. Augustine Zoological Park, located in the same state. They were impressed by the variety and effectiveness of the antimicrobial proteins that are contained in the blood of these reptiles.
A few facts about alligators:.
• The American alligator can grow to 11 feet and weigh half a ton.
• Alligators use traps, including chopsticks to attract nesting birds.
• In addition to fresh prey, alligators can eat carrion and various fruits.
• One of the ancient ancestors of the alligator is the 40-foot Deinosuchus, which was hunted in America 70 million years ago. Alligators are considered one of the oldest animals on the planet. Over the past 37 million years of their evolution, these reptiles have developed very effective adaptations to combat enemies, including infections.
Using specially developed nanoparticles, the team from the University of Mason was able to "catch" and study the necessary peptides from the blood of reptiles.
Scientists have found that small molecules were just fragments of larger "maternal" proteins that also played a role in immunity. This suggests that the immune system of alligators is more complex than anticipated.
Now, scientists are going to compare isolated proteins with similar substances from the body of Siamese, Nile crocodiles, and Ghanaian gavials - natives of Hindustan. They will then decide which proteins will be used for medical purposes.
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