A hangover pill (not for everyone and not soon :)
Scientists have found a cure for a hangover
Alexey Tymoshenko, GZT.ruScientists have found out how to help those whose ability to neutralize the by-products of the breakdown of ethyl alcohol is impaired at the genetic level.
Researchers from the National Institute of Alcohol Addiction in the USA published an article on the enzyme ALDH2 in the journal Nature Structural and Molecular Biology. This designation hides a protein that breaks down acetic aldehyde, a substance that is formed in the body after drinking alcohol and which is responsible for all the unpleasant "special effects".
Hangover is a threat to a billion people
Headache, dry mouth, nausea – all these effects from a hangover are associated not so much with ethyl alcohol as with the product of its metabolism, acetic aldehyde. Normally, aldehyde is oxidized to acetic acid by aldehyde dehydrogenase enzymes (abbreviated ALDH), but for some people this enzyme does not "work" in full force, and, accordingly, drinking their body costs much more.
Without touching on the question of the permissible dose of alcohol as such, the scientists decided to study one of the ALDH enzymes - ALDH2. According to doctors and geneticists. approximately 40% of the population of the Far Eastern countries has an inactive, defective, variant of this enzyme, which is genetically encoded. Yes, it would probably be better to drink less, but if alcohol poisoning has happened, then what to do? According to scientists, almost a billion people on the planet have an inefficient enzyme, so you can't call the problem far–fetched.
Experimental drug
As scientists have managed to establish, a substance codenamed Alda1 can activate a defective enzyme. And if this is not the discovery of a ready-made drug, then the key to its creation, since the molecular structure of Alda1 is known,
This is not the first time this drug has come to the attention of scientists. Previously, Alda1 was considered as a drug against coronary heart disease, and its protective properties were due precisely to the interaction of the molecule with an enzyme that neutralizes acetic aldehyde. Acetic aldehyde is formed in cells not only after drinking alcohol, but also when cells are faced with oxygen starvation (a situation typical of a heart attack), therefore substances capable of splitting it are of interest to narcologists, toxicologists and doctors of many other areas of medicine. And the defective version of the enzyme ALDH2 not only contributes to poor tolerance of drinking – it also significantly reduces the effectiveness of such a common and important drug as nitroglycerin, and in case of heart problems, nitroglycerin may not help owners of inactive aldehyde dehydrogenase.
Methods It should be noted that the research of scientists was conducted not at all on volunteers who snacked on alcohol pills.
Moreover, even laboratory mice and rats – a favorite object of work of biologists and physicians – did not take alcohol inside. All experiments were carried out in test tubes, where scientists mixed ALDH2 with the studied drug under various conditions.
But before the appropriate drugs appear in pharmacies, it is necessary to conduct animal tests – both for effectiveness and safety. After the harmlessness of Alda1 for rodents is proven, human trials will begin, and also in several stages – from the first safety tests to full-fledged clinical trials. It takes at least several years to develop most modern drugs from a test tube to a pharmacy. An exception is made in very few cases – for example, where the technology has already been repeatedly tested, and the new drug practically does not differ from the old one (for example, if it is a vaccine against a new type of flu).
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru11.01.2010