Researchers Create Nanosponges that Soak up Toxins [Video]

Researchers have now created nanosponges that can soak up a broad range of dangerous toxins in the body.

The nanosponges were tested on mice, where they increased chances of survival in mice injected with a lethal dose of toxin by 44 percent. The sponges are effective in removing "pore-forming" toxins in the blood. These toxins kill living cells by puncturing holes in them.

The sponges could be used against bacteria that are resistant to current antibiotics. Researchers said that they extensively studied toxins produced by the MRSA during their experiments with the nanosponges. The sponges are about 85 nanameters in diameter and can be used to soak up toxins from bees and snake venom.

"This is a new way to remove toxins from the bloodstream. Instead of creating specific treatments for individual toxins, we are developing a platform that can neutralize toxins caused by a wide range of pathogens, including MRSA and other antibiotic resistant bacteria," said Liangfang Zhang, a nanoengineering professor at the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering and senior author of the study.

The new material is sent into the body disguised as a red blood cell, as the RBCs are the pore-forming toxin's primary target.

The study was conducted on a set of mice that were given the alpha-haemolysin toxin produced by MRSA. Researchers found that 89 percent of the mice survived if they were given the nanosponges before the lethal toxin, while about 44 percent survived when given the nanosponges after the toxin.

In the experiment, the nanoparticles had a half-life of about 40 hours, after which they were broken down by the liver. Researchers found that the toxins didn't damage the liver, according to a news release.

The study was conducted by a team led by nanoengineers at the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering and is published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology April 14.