Biologists from the United States successfully tested the first cure for alcoholism

Molecular biologists from the University of Texas have created and tested the first experimental drug for alcoholism, completely weaning rats and worms from craving for alcohol, according to an article published in Neuropsychopharmacology, writes RIA News.

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“There are other experimental drugs for alcoholism, but they all have a weak effect on humans and have strong side effects. Our substance, JVW-1034, acts on a different chain of neurons, and therefore it does not have these disadvantages,” explains James Sun from the University of Texas at Austin.

In recent years, scientists have found that alcoholism develops not because of a weak will or some other problems with the nature of a person, but because of the presence of certain mutations in the genes responsible for processing ethanol and the work of certain parts of the pleasure center and other brain regions. associated with self-control and impulsive behavior.

Such discoveries revived doctors' interest in creating drugs that would correct the work of such DNA segments and related proteins and parts of the brain and would help alcoholics to get rid of dependence or prevent its development.

San and his colleagues took the first step towards creating a similar drug by studying how the nervous system changes in a very general way, not only with the development of alcoholism, but also with other forms of drug addiction.

As the biologist notes, the so-called sigma receptors, to which cocaine and opiate molecules combine, have long been considered one of the main culprits for the formation of drug addiction. More recently, genetics have deciphered their complete structure, which led the authors of the article to the idea of ​​checking whether they could be associated with the development of alcoholism.

Using data on their device, the Sana team synthesized several hundred molecules capable of blocking the work of sigma receptors. Then biologists chose from them several of the most effective versions that most strongly interfered with their work and at the same time did not act on other types of neurons on which sigma receptors are absent.

To test them and make their final selection, scientists conducted a series of unusual experiments in which they tried to wean alcoholic worms from their craving for alcohol. To do this, they planted several nematodes in soil soaked in alcohol, and the next day they checked how actively they moved after such a “binge”, treating some of them with medications.

The substance that performed best was the one temporarily named JVW-1034 - it completely relieved all the symptoms of a “hangover” and prevented the development of alcoholism. Scientists subsequently successfully tested his work on alcoholic rats, which under any conditions preferred to drink a ten percent alcohol solution rather than pure water.

As these experiments showed, even relatively modest doses of the medicine relieved the rats of dependence and reduced the share of alcohol consumed by them by 30 percent almost immediately after the start of JVW-1034 administration. The successful completion of these tests, San and his colleagues hope, will allow moving to clinical trials of this drug in the near future.

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