A new drug for the treatment of alcoholism
Alcohol abuse is one of the leading causes of preventable mortality worldwide. So, in the USA alone, alcoholism annually claims 88,000 lives, which exceeds the total mortality rate from HIV/AIDS, armed attacks and car accidents. Unfortunately, to date, there are no effective means to combat this problem.
Researchers at the University of Rhode Island, working under the guidance of Professor Fatemeh Akhlaghi, hope that the results of their clinical study will help change the situation for the better.
The drug they tested was originally developed as a treatment for obesity and diabetes mellitus. It selectively affects the ghrelin receptor, a peptide consisting of 28 amino acids, whose function is to stimulate appetite and food intake. The concentration of ghrelin in the blood, known as the "hunger hormone", and the feeling of hunger increase in parallel. In people suffering from alcoholism, higher levels of ghrelin are associated with an increased desire to drink and an increase in the amount of alcoholic beverages consumed. The authors believe that an oral drug blocking the activity of ghrelin may contribute to the suppression of an obsessive desire to drink. Previous experiments on rats have shown promising results.
The authors explain that all addictions, including those from food, alcohol and drugs, are based on the same signaling mechanisms triggered in the brain. If an experimental drug blocks ghrelin receptors, even a high concentration of ghrelin will not be able to trigger a "hunger signal".
During the preliminary pilot clinical trial, all 12 participants had a statistically significant decrease in the severity of obsessive hunger and craving for alcohol. The main results of this study were confirmation of the safety and good tolerability of the drug, the absence of influence on the pharmacokinetics of alcohol in the body, as well as significant suppression of the effects of ghrelin.
Currently, researchers are working on a larger clinical trial under placebo control, which aims to study in more detail the effect of the experimental drug on alcohol abusing patients. At the same time, the effectiveness of the drug's effect on the signaling mechanisms triggered in the brain of patients will be evaluated using functional magnetic resonance imaging.
Evgenia Ryabtseva, portal "Eternal Youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on the materials of the University of Rhode Island: URI drug study produces 'promising therapy' for alcohol abuse.