Methyl mercaptan gas: mechanisms of toxicity and demonstration of the effectiveness of cobinamide as an antidote in mice and rabbits.

ABSTRACT:

Context

Methyl mercaptan (CH₃SH) is a colorless, toxic gas with potential for occupational exposure and used as a weapon of mass destruction. Inhalation at high concentrations can result in dyspnea, hypoventilation, seizures, and death. No specific methyl mercaptan antidote exists, highlighting a critical need for such an agent. Here, we investigated the mechanism of CH₃SH toxicity, and rescue from CH₃SH poisoning by the vitamin B₁₂ analog cobinamide, in mammalian cells. We also developed lethal CH₃SH inhalation models in mice and rabbits, and tested the efficacy of intramuscular injection of cobinamide as a CH₃SH antidote.

Results

We found that cobinamide binds to CH₃SH (K_d = 84 µ

SUBMITTER: Philipopoulos GP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9662850 | biostudies-literature | 2022 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature