Suppression of Heavy Drinking and Alcohol Seeking by a Selective ALDH-2 InhibitorAlcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research Early View 10 Aug 2009
Inherited human aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH-2) deficiency reduces the risk for alcoholism. Kudzu plants and extracts have been used for 1,000 years in traditional Chinese medicine to treat alcoholism. Kudzu contains daidzin, which inhibits ALDH-2 and suppresses heavy drinking in rodents. Decreased drinking due to ALDH-2 inhibition is attributed to aversive properties of acetaldehyde accumulated during alcohol consumption. However, daidzin can reduce drinking in some rodents without necessarily increasing acetaldehyde. Therefore, a selective ALDH-2 inhibitor might affect other metabolic factors involved in regulating drinking.
Our findings suggest that selective reversible ALDH-2 inhibitors may have therapeutic potential to reduce excessive drinking and to suppress relapse in abstinent alcoholics.
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