Drunk mice sober up twice as fast when given hormone injection

A hormone that helps drunk rats sober up may one day treat acute alcohol poisoning in humans.

Both mouse and human livers produce the hormone FGF21, which is known to interact with parts of the brain. Previous studies have suggested that alcohol consumption is the greatest trigger for her FGF21 production in humans, reducing appetite for alcohol and protecting the liver from alcohol damage. Mutations in the gene for FGF21 and its receptor can affect the amount of alcohol we consume.

When Steven Cleewer, David Mangelsdorf and their team at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center were studying FGF21, mice unable to make the hormone ingested ethanol, a form of alcohol. Later, I discovered that it took me twice as long to regain consciousness. In beverages – compared to FGF21-producing counterparts.

To investigate further, the research team fed mice that produced normal amounts of FGF21 an intoxicating dose of ethanol. The animals were then injected with more hormones.

Compared to mice that did not receive this injection, these animals took half the time to wake up and stand after being unconscious with ethanol. They also recovered coordination faster.

“We know the liver is important in terms of breaking down ethanol, but here’s a whole new pathway where the liver sends distress signals to the brain and blunts the effects of addiction,” says Kliewer. say.

The researchers also found that in mice, FGF21 acts on neurons in a brain region called the locus coeruleus to produce the neurotransmitter noradrenaline. This area controls wakefulness and awakening from sleep.

In humans, drinking alcohol increases the amount of noradrenaline produced in the brain. This suggests he may occur through FGF21, and that administering this could help drunk people sober as well, he says, Kliewer said. .

Although more research is needed, FGF21 injections may be administered to people who arrive at the hospital with acute alcohol intoxication. I can.

In another part of the experiment, FGF21 had no effect on the ability of mice to recover from sedation by drugs such as ketamine, suggesting that the hormone’s sedative effects are alcohol-specific. This means that there are certain neurons in that center of the brain that are likely involved in different responses to different situations,” Mangelsdorff says.

according to Matthew GillamAccording to PhD, who studies FGF21 at Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk, the findings add to our understanding of the relationship between the hormone and alcohol consumption.