Saturday, June 03, 2023

Hormone Sobers Up Drunken Mice: Study

Good news! Let's toast to that! 😊 

"Fibroblast growth factor 21, usually abbreviated FGF21, is a hormone known to be induced by various metabolic stresses, including fasting and alcohol consumption in both humans and mice. ... Now, scientists have discovered one more property of this hormone: without it, drunk mice take longer to recover their motor skills, whereas a much larger pharmacologic dose speeds up the recovery. The effect ... is mediated by the activation of noradrenergic neurons in a region of the brainstem that regulates arousal and alertness. ..."

"A shot of a liver-produced hormone called FGF21 sobered up mice that had passed out from alcohol, allowing them to regain consciousness and coordination much faster than those that didn’t receive this treatment, ... researchers report in a new study. ..."

From the highlights and abstract:
"Highlights
Hormone FGF21 counteracts alcohol-induced loss of consciousness and coordination
• Pharmacologic FGF21 accelerates recovery from alcohol-induced intoxication
• FGF21 exerts its sobering effect by activating the noradrenergic nervous system
Summary
Animals that consume fermenting fruit and nectar are at risk of exposure to ethanol and the detrimental effects of inebriation. In this report, we show that the hormone FGF21, which is strongly induced by ethanol in murine and human liver, stimulates arousal from intoxication without changing ethanol catabolism. Mice lacking FGF21 take longer than wild-type littermates to recover their righting reflex and balance following ethanol exposure. Conversely, pharmacologic FGF21 administration reduces the time needed for mice to recover from ethanol-induced unconsciousness and ataxia. FGF21 did not counteract sedation caused by ketamine, diazepam, or pentobarbital, indicating specificity for ethanol. FGF21 mediates its anti-intoxicant effects by directly activating noradrenergic neurons in the locus coeruleus region, which regulates arousal and alertness. These results suggest that this FGF21 liver-brain pathway evolved to protect against ethanol-induced intoxication and that it might be targeted pharmaceutically for treating acute alcohol poisoning."
 
Hormone Sobers Up Drunken Mice: Study | The Scientist Magazine® (secondary source) A hormone naturally induced by alcohol consumption accelerates the recovery of mice after binge drinking by activating neurons involved in arousal and alertness.

UT Southwestern scientists discover agent that reverses effects of intoxication (primary source) Hormone called FGF21 speeds recovery from alcohol poisoning in mice, has potential to save countless lives, researchers say


Figure 3: Pharmacologic FGF21 accelerates recovery from alcohol-induced loss of righting reflex and ataxia and is selective for ethanol


No comments: