Alcohol metabolism: Possible treatment

An experimental compound has been created to repair a defective enzyme, responsible for alcohol metabolism, affecting nearly one billion people around the world.

Published on January 10 Nature.com site, the results of research conducted by the Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis suggests the possible treatment to reduce illness inherent to the defection of this enzyme.

When alcohol is consumed, it is first transformed into acetaldehyde, a toxic chemical that causes damage to DNA. The aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) is the primary enzyme responsible for converting acetaldehyde into acetate, which is  non-toxic in the body.

Worldwide, nearly one billion people (40% of the population of East Asia) have a genetic mutation that produces an inactive form of ALDH2. When individuals with the mutation ALDH2 consume alcohol, acetaldehyde accumulates in the body, causing redness on the face (facial flushing), nausea and rapid heartbeat.

The inactive form of ALDH2 is also known to increase cancer risks and reduce the effectiveness of nitroglycerin, a drug used to treat angina pectoris or other heart conditions.

"We have recently identified a molecule called Alda-1 that activates the defective enzyme and we determined how this activation is achieved," said Dr. Thomas D. Hurley, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at Indiana University and lead author of the study.

"This exciting discovery could have wide implications for public health," said Kenneth R . Warren, director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, which funded the research. "We look forward to further work to turn laboratory discoveries into possible treatments for patients."

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