Researcher receives $2.7 million
to study treatment for mustard gas exposure
Study will test potential cure for a toxin
that is considered a military
threat
A common over-the-counter dietary supplement may help to treat burns
caused by mustard gas – a toxic, chemical warfare agent that causes
the skin to break out in large blisters, and if inhaled, may cause blistering
or bleeding in the lungs, as well as in other internal organs, potentially
causing death.
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| Rajesh Agarwal, PhD |
Rajesh Agarwal, PhD, a professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical
Sciences at the University of Colorado Denver’s
School of Pharmacy, has been awarded a $2.7 million grant from the
National Institutes of Health to conduct research that may lead to
a treatment for
those exposed to this harmful toxin.
Agarwal’s research will focus on the toxicity of sulfur mustard to
exposed skin cells and skin tissues and then test the efficacy of silibinin
as a protective agent. Silibinin is a common dietary supplement derived
from milk thistle and used in the treatment and prevention of liver
toxicity. A member of the daisy family, milk thistle grows wild throughout
Europe,
North America and Australia, and has been used for 2,000 years to treat
a
range of liver and gallbladder diseases.
Agarwal’s most recent research with milk thistle at UCD found the
compounds in the extract to be effective in the prevention and treatment
of skin and prostate cancer. His new research will utilize the compound
through both topical application and dietary ingestion to determine
if silibinin prevents and/or treats sulfur mustard damage to the skin.
“
Sulfur mustard is a continued military threat, and also has grown to
become a chemical-terrorism threat against civilians in the post 9/11 era,” said
Agarwal. “This new research will allow us to test a new potential cure
for patients affected by mustard gas.”
