A plant-derived cocaine hydrolase prevents cocaine overdose lethality and attenuates cocaine-induced drug seeking behavior.

ABSTRACT: Cocaine use disorders include short-term and acute pathologies (e.g. overdose) and long-term and chronic disorders (e.g. intractable addiction and post-abstinence relapse). There is currently no available treatment that can effectively reduce morbidity and mortality associated with cocaine overdose or that can effectively prevent relapse in recovering addicts. One recently developed approach to treat these problems is the use of enzymes that rapidly break down the active cocaine molecule into inactive metabolites. In particular, rational design and site-directed mutagenesis transformed human serum recombinant butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) into a highly efficient cocaine hydrolase with drastically improved catalytic efficiency toward (-)-cocaine. A current drawback preventing the clinical ap

SUBMITTER: Larrimore KE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7398606 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature