It is a well-known fact that alcohol can make you sick. According to recent research, nearly one billion people throughout the world could be experiencing DNA damage due to the metabolism of alcohol into acetaldehyde, a toxic chemical.
A recent post in Science Daily examined the findings that an experimental compound has repaired this defective alcohol metabolism enzyme. Research was conducted by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). The study is expected to produce a possible treatment to reduce the health problems associated with the enzyme defect.
"We recently identified a molecule called Alda-1 that activates the defective enzyme, and in the current study, we determined how this activation is achieved," said the study’s senior author, Thomas D. Hurley, Ph.D., professor and associate chairman of biochemistry and molecular biology at Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis.
In normal body function, the Aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) is the main enzyme responsible for breaking down acetaldehyde into acetate, a nontoxic metabolite, in the body. ALDH2 also removes other toxic aldehydes that are known to accumulate in the body.
A genetic mutation that produces an inactive form of ALDH2 is active in about 40 percent of the East Asian population and many people of East Asian descent around the world. Those with the mutation who consume alcohol can experience an accumulation of acetaldehyde in the body, leading to facial flushing, nausea and a rapid heartbeat.
"The manner in which Alda-1 binds to the structure of ALDH2 provides us with powerful insight into the relationships between activators and inhibitors of this crucial detoxifying enzyme," says Dr. Hurley.
This research and potential subsequent treatment is not meant to make it safer for those with the mutation to consume alcohol, but instead to avoid health risks overall.
