The problem of tainted milk from China due to melamine is the recent hot issue in public health. However, there are also other problematic contaminations. The tetramine contaminated milk and food is another interesting problem. Unlike melamine, the main toxic manifestation of acute tetramine intoxication is neurological disorder. Status epilepticus can be seen after a few minutes of exposure
(3,5,9).
The treatment of acute tetramine intoxication is interesting. Fatality in affected cases is confirmed and this brings attention medical society to find for the best alternative therapeutic choice(1,2,4,7,11-13). Here, the author assesses whether the two presently used antidotes have any possibility to reduce the tetramine level in blood level. In case that the reduction ability is possible, there must be a direct binding interaction, as a neutralization process, between antidote and tetramine molecule. This can be traced based on advanced bioinformatics technology.
In this work, the author uses a standard molecular docking technique to test the interaction. Of interest, there is no detected interaction. This confirms the fact that there is no direct neutralization effect. Indeed, the indirect antidotal effect via receptor in brain is mentioned for the two studied antidotes(1–2,7). Hence, it can explain the fact that there is no significant reduction of blood tetramine level in intoxication case after getting the two antidotes(7). The direct removal of the tetramine before absorption, as gastric lavage(8) or hemoperfusion therapy(7) seems to be more appropriate in reduction or diluting the level of tetramine in blood stream.
Received by: 18 September 2009
Revised by: 13 December 2011
Accepted: 07 March 2012