Maintenance of homeostasis of endogenous ethanol as a method for the therapy of alcoholism.
We propose a new method for the therapy of alcoholism based on maintenance of homeostasis of endogenous ethanol and inhibition of alcohol dehydrogenase with emetine. After the standard antialcohol therapy, activity of this enzyme remained high or even increased, and pathological alcohol addiction also increased. Emetine normalized activity of alcohol dehydrogenase and suppressed pathological alcohol addiction. After this therapy more than 50% patients achieved stable remissions from alcoholism over 1 year, which indicated high efficiency of the proposed method.
Nikolaenko
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VN
Department for the Therapy of Alcohol Dependence, V. M. Bekhterev Psychoneurological Institute, St. Petersburg.
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000426:Alcohol Dehydrogenase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000628:therapy*; D004640:Emetine / Q000494:pharmacology; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D000431:Ethanol / Q000378:metabolism*; D006706:Homeostasis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D000431:Ethanol; D000426:Alcohol Dehydrogenase; D004640:Emetine