Researchers led by UCLA engineers have identified an enzyme combination that could be ingested as a pill, chemically altering alcohol in the digestive system, even as the liver does its work. The findings may offer some needed help for hangovers.
Researchers at UCLA’s Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science successfully placed two complementary enzymes in a tiny capsule to speed up the elimination of alcohol from the body. The enzyme combination within the capsule essentially processes alcohol the way the liver does.
“The pill acts in a way extremely similar to the way your liver does," said Yunfeng Lu, a professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science. "With further research, this discovery could be used as a preventative measure or antidote for alcohol intoxication."
Researchers placed the two enzymes in a polymer capsule measuring just tens of nanometers in diameter. The wall of the polymer capsule is only one nanometer thick—about 100,000 times thinner than a strand of human hair. The capsule protects the enzymes and allows them to freely enter an alcohol molecule. In this way, the nanocapsule mimics an organelle, a structure found in cells that spurs chemical reactions.
The researchers used a mouse model to test how well the enzyme package worked as an antidote after alcohol was consumed. They found blood alcohol levels in mice that received the enzyme package fell more quickly than in mice that did not. Blood alcohol levels of the antidote test group were 15.8% lower than the control group after 45 minutes, 26.1% lower after 90 minutes, and 34.7% lower after three hours.
In a test of how well the enzyme delivery system worked as a prophylactic when consumed at the same time as alcohol, they found blood alcohol levels in the mice that received the enzymes were 10.1% lower than in control-group mice after 45 minutes, 31.8% lower after 90 minutes, and 36.8% lower after three hours.
“Considering the vast library of enzymes that are currently or potentially available, novel classes of enzyme nanocomplexes could be built for a broad range of applications," they said.
A 2012 study published in the Journal of Food Science suggests amino acids and minerals found in asparagus extract may alleviate alcohol hangover and protect liver cells against toxins.
