American scientists are close to developing a new drug that will help in the treatment of disorders related to alcohol abuse.
Alcohol abuse in the United States alone kills more than 88,000 people a year - results from the analysis of the American Centers for Disease Control. This sum is higher than the total number of deaths due to HIV / AIDS, violence related to weapons and car accidents. Despite this, currently available drugs are not effective in combating this problem.
Professor Fatemeh Akhlaghi from the University of Rhode Island College of Pharmacy is trying to change it. It is close to the start of clinical trials of a new drug for the treatment of alcohol-related disorders. This drug, originally developed by Pfizer to treat obesity and diabetes, focuses on ghrelin, i.e. hunger hormones.
Grelin is a 28-amino acid peptide produced and secreted primarily by stomach cells. Its main role is to stimulate appetite and food intake. Grelin is called the "hunger hormone" because its level in the body and the feeling of hunger are closely related.
It turns out that in people with alcohol disorder, higher concentrations of ghrelin are associated with greater alcohol craving and - as a result - greater alcohol intake. Researchers are convinced that an oral drug blocking ghrelin could stop the urge for alcohol. Initial results showed positive results in laboratory rats and in 12 human volunteers
"All addictions at the brain level look similar: addiction to food, alcohol and drugs - says prof. Akhlaghi. - So if we give a drug that can block ghrelin receptors, even if someone has a very high level of ghrelin in the body, his ghrelin receptors will become + paralyzed + and will not respond to hunger. Also, alcohol starvation "- he explains.
"In 12 patients who volunteered for our study, we found a statistically significant reduction in alcohol craving and food craving. At the same time, we noticed that the drug was safe and well tolerated, did not affect the pharmacokinetics of alcohol and did not significantly weaken the general effect of ghrelin "- added the researcher.
"Drugs that are currently available for the treatment of alcohol abuse disorders are mainly based on opioids or other substances that cause an aversive effect. However, they bring very small results - summarizes prof. Akhlaghi. - Our small study looks very promising against this background - he adds.
Currently, scientists are preparing a large clinical trial with a double-blind trial and using a placebo to test the drug on a large group of people abusing alcohol. (PAP)
