Chinese researchers have created a probiotic specifically designed to release an alcohol-metabolizing enzyme called ADH1. They then gave the substance to the rats to make them intoxicated. The results showed that it succeeded in keeping the mice from getting too noisy and clearing alcohol from their system faster. Not only does it provide a way to protect us, it may also be used to treat liver disease.
When humans consume alcohol, an enzyme known as alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) enlists to help metabolize alcohol. (Interestingly, ADH has also recently been shown to be an anti-aging substance, but that’s a digression.)
ADH is very effective in that role, but research shows that its cousin ADH1B is even better. Found in Polynesian and East Asian populations, he is 100 times more effective at metabolizing alcohol than normal he is with ADH.
Using this form of the enzyme, a team of researchers from the Institute of Zoology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences came up with a simple and harmless way to distribute it. Lactococcus lactis ADH1B is secreted after ingestion. They then encapsulated it so that it could survive traveling through the harsh environment of the digestive tract, gave it to some mice, and intoxicated them with wine.
Mice that weren’t given probiotics became so tipsy that when the researchers turned them over an hour after drinking, they couldn’t turn over. Half were able to roll over and a quarter never lost a roll.
Moreover, after 2 hours, blood alcohol levels were elevated in untreated mice, while BAC levels began to decline in mice fed with probiotics. If proven (which is the next avenue for researchers to explore), similar enzyme-expressing probiotics could help metabolize alcohol more quickly, protecting us from the dreaded hangovers associated with overdose. It may be possible.
Given that alcohol consumption is linked to everything from cancer to accelerated aging to brain shrinkage, anything that helps improve alcohol metabolism is welcome.
Along these lines, the current study also showed that treated mice accumulated less lipids and triglycerides in their livers. This means that the pill may help alleviate some of the damage alcohol can do to the liver.
“We believe genetically engineered probiotics offer new ideas for treating liver disease,” said study co-author Meng Dong, PhD. “We are excited about the improvement of recombinant probiotics in acute alcohol-induced liver and intestinal damage.”
The research was published in a journal, microbiology spectrum.
Source: American Society for Microbiology
