American scientists are developing a treatment specially designed to treat hangovers. Testing in humans could start as early as 2019.
Headache, vomiting, bloating. Anyone who consumes excessively alcohol in a festive setting is probably familiar with the very unpleasant effects of this state which is nicknamed “hangover”. Indeed, who has never had a more difficult awakening than the others, after a night that was a little too drunk?
In this case, we have only one desire: to jump on paracetamol or aspirin and pray for it to pass. Except that these drugs cannot do much for our condition.
The priority is to rehydrate the body
Most of the time, the only effective way to recover from a hangover is to drink plenty of water and wait until our body clears all the alcohol we ingested the night before. The problem is, it can take several hours.
Could there not be a more effective solution to eliminate alcohol and get back on your feet faster? This is the question asked by Yunfeng Lu, researcher and professor of biomolecular engineering at the University of California at Los Angeles.
“I decided to design an antidote that could help people enjoy wine or cocktails or beer without a hangover, and at the same time create life-saving therapy to treat intoxication and overdose victims in the emergency room. “, he explains in an article published on the site The Conversation.
Provide enzymes to break down alcohol
To do this, the researcher came up with the idea of creating capsules filled with natural enzymes that are usually found in liver cells to help the body digest alcohol faster. Tested in mice, the drug was developed with the help of liver disease expert Cheng Ji, a professor at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California.
“To protect the enzymes, we wrapped each of them in a capsule, using a material that the United States Food and Drug Administration had already approved for other pills. We then injected these nanocapsules into the veins. of drunken mice “, explains Professor Lu.
Protect the liver from alcohol damage
The nanocapsules passed through the circulatory system of mice before entering liver cells, where they served as mini-reactors to digest alcohol. In intoxicated mice (who fall asleep much faster than drunk humans), the treatment reduced blood alcohol levels by 45% in just four hours compared to mice that did not. not received an injection.
“The ability to effectively and quickly break down alcohol should help patients wake up earlier and prevent alcohol poisoning. It should also protect the liver from alcohol-related stress and damage,” says Prof Lu .
Assess the risk of side effects
In addition, the blood level of acetaldehyde – a highly toxic compound in alcohol that causes headaches and vomiting, among other things – remained extremely low in treated mice. Drunken rodents woke up from their ethyl sleep faster than their untreated counterparts, the researchers say.
They hope to be able to test their product in humans as early as next year. But before launching this experimental phase, Professor Lu’s team must first ensure that the injected nanocapsules are safe and that they do not trigger unexpected or dangerous side effects in humans.
While scientists recognize that this treatment is unlikely to prevent people from going too far when they consume alcohol, they do believe that it may help them recover faster, and therefore limit the number of related hospitalizations. alcohol poisoning.
But while waiting for such a treatment to be available on the market, the most effective solution to avoid a hangover is of course to drink in moderation.
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