Progress in mind: focus on alcohol use disorders, an elsevier resource centre

Dysregulation of tryptophan metabolism and distortion of cell signaling after oral exposure to ethanol and Kynurenic acid

Kynurenic acid (KYNA), an unavoidable tryptophan metabolite during fermentation is naturally blended with alcohol in all alcoholic beverages. Thus, alcohol drinking inevitably results in co-intake of KYNA. Effects of alcohol or KYNA on human health have been widely studied. However, the combined effects of both remain unknown. Here we report that alcohol and KYNA have a synergistic impact of on global gene expression, especially the gene sets related to tryptophan metabolism and cell signaling. Adult mice were exposed to alcohol (ethanol) and/or KYNA daily for a week. Transcriptomes of the brain, kidney and liver were profiled via bulk RNA sequencing. Results indicate that while KYNA alone largely promotes, and alcohol alone mostly inhibits gene expression, alcohol and KYNA co-administration has a stronger inhibition of global gene expression. Tryptophan metabolism is severely skewed towards kynurenine pathway by decreasing tryptophan hydroxylase 2 and increasing tryptophan dioxygenase. Quantification of tryptophan metabolic enzymes corroborates the transcriptional changes of these enzymes. Furthermore, the co-administration greatly enhances the GnRH signaling pathway. This research provides critical data to better understand the effects of alcohol and KYNA in mix on human health.

Proteins of allogeneic hepatocytes and pharmacological preparations for the correction of immunometabolic disorders in experimental liver pathology

Introduction: The relationship of numerous metabolic shifts, disorders of hepatocytes functional activity resulting from hypoxia and toxic liver damage with the function of the immune system has not been sufficiently studied so far, nor have the most effective methods of pharmacological correction been established.

Materials and Methods: The studies were carried out on 603 mature male Wistar rats and 45 mice. Acute toxic liver damage (ATLD) was modeled by intramuscular introduction of carbon tetrachloride; acute liver ischemia (ALI) was caused by clamping the hepatoduodenal ligament for 20 minutes; chronic alcohol intoxication (CAI) was modeled by forced intragastric administration of 20% ethanol solution for 60 days. Isolation of xenogeneic (murine) and allogeneic (rat) hepatocytes from newborn mice and rats was carried out according to the method of Berry and Friend (1969); culture fluid of hepatocytes and its protein fractions were prepared according to our developed techniques. The obtained biological material was intraperitoneally introduced into the rats with ATLD, ALI, and CAI.

Results and Discussion: In all the models of the liver damage, there developed morphological and biochemical signs of the liver damage, impaired congenital and adaptive immunity, oxidative stress, increased lipid peroxidation processes.

Conclusion: The introduction of allogeneic hepatocytes, culture fluid obtained on their basis,and proteins isolated from it with MW less than 130 kDa to the recipients with toxic and ischemic liver damage more effectively corrects the pathologic changes in the liver in comparison with xenogeneic hepatocytes, their culture fluid and pharmacological preparations (combinations of Essentiale N and Hypoxenum or Heptral and Mexicor).

[Alcohol use disorders: current approaches to diagnosis and treatment]

Alcohol abuse and alcoholism are the leading causes of disability, health worsening and increased mortality. Diagnosis of alcohol use disorders is based on the formal criteria of ICD-10 and DSM-V. Sobriety-oriented therapy has extremely low efficiency. The difficulties of therapy are compounded by the fact that less than 10% patients with alcohol use disorder participate in treatment programs. Serious expectations in addressing unsatisfactory efficiency of alcoholism treatment are associated with WHO reducing alcohol consumption strategy. Nalmefene is the first and still only drug registered as a medicine for reducing alcohol use. Recent studies show that the decrease of alcohol consumption using nalmefene creates opportunities for significant lessening of alcohol-related morbidity, injuries and deaths.