15 May 2024

Alcohol-neutralising gel successfully tested on mice

Scientists seem to have found a way to make drinking alcoholic beverages less harmful to the body. A special gel can help: by breaking down alcohol while it is still in the stomach, it prevents alcohol intoxication.

In a recent study published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology, an international team of experts from Switzerland, China, Spain and Belgium presented the results of tests of the new tool. Having tested its effect outside the body and on a mouse model, the researchers were convinced that neutralising alcohol hydrogel allows to avoid most of the negative consequences of alcohol intake.

The gel was made using readily available whey protein beta-lactoglobulin. After boiling for several hours, it formed long thin fibrils, or fibres, to which water and salt were then added as solvents.

Several catalysts needed to break down alcohol, including glucose, iron and gold particles, were then added to the resulting gelatinous base. According to the idea of the creators, in contact with alcohol gel should start a multi-stage cascade of enzymatic reactions, eventually turning alcohol into acetic acid, less toxic than acetaldehyde.

Recall that acetaldehyde, a product of the incomplete breakdown of ethanol, is formed during the normal processing of alcohol in the liver. Its excessive level destroys the liver and leads to health problems. Application of the gel makes it possible to transfer the breakdown of alcohol from the liver to the digestive tract and avoid negative consequences.

In experiments, the effectiveness of the gel was tested on rodents that were given alcohol once or regularly for 10 days. Application of the gel before a single intake of ethanol allowed after 30 minutes to reduce its concentration in the blood of test subjects by 40%, and after five hours - by 56% compared to control animals. In addition, those who took the gel had weaker accumulation of harmful acetaldehyde and weaker stress reactions in the liver, which was reflected in better blood counts.

Although the alcohol-neutralising gel has only been tested on mice so far, researchers are already seeing different scenarios for its use in humans. For example, by consuming the product before or during alcohol intake, it will be possible to prevent the increase of ethanol levels in the blood and the damaging effects of acetaldehyde.

The creators of the gel emphasised that it is better for health to abstain from alcohol altogether. According to the WHO, about three million people die every year from excessive alcohol consumption. It harms the body even in small amounts, impairs the ability to concentrate and react, increasing the risk of accidents.

Nevertheless, such an antidote will be useful for those who are not ready to completely give up hot drinks, but at the same time want to protect the body. In addition, in future clinical trials, scientists plan to test the possibility of taking the gel for therapeutic and preventive purposes.

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