Alcohol consumption is quite common, whether there is an occasion to celebrate or not, because the weather is too hot or cold, whether you are in a good mood or a bad mood, et al. However, we all know that alcohol consumption is not the best for your health, and excessive alcohol consumption can take a toll on your body, especially your liver. Alcohol also impairs the ability to concentrate and to react. To combat the impact of alcohol on our bodies, researchers at ETH Zurich, Switzerland, have developed a protein gel that breaks down alcohol in the gastrointestinal tract. In the future, people who take the gel could reduce the harmful and intoxicating effects of alcohol on their bodies.
How This Gel Works
The findings of the study were published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology. This gel converts alcohol quickly, efficiently and directly into harmless acetic acid before it enters the bloodstream.
"The gel shifts the breakdown of alcohol from the liver to the digestive tract. In contrast to when alcohol is metabolised in the liver, no harmful acetaldehyde is produced as an intermediate product," explains Professor Raffaele Mezzenga from the Laboratory of Food & Soft Materials at ETH Zurich. Acetaldehyde is toxic and is responsible for many health problems caused by excessive alcohol consumption.
What Is This Gel Made Of?
The researchers used ordinary whey proteins to produce the gel. They boiled them for several hours to form long, thin fibrils. Adding salt and water as a solvent causes the fibrils to cross-link and form a gel. To break down the alcohol, the gel needs several catalysts. The researchers used individual iron atoms as the main catalyst.
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Tiny amounts of hydrogen peroxide are needed to trigger this reaction in the intestine. These are generated by an upstream reaction between glucose and gold nanoparticles. Gold was chosen as a catalyst for hydrogen peroxide because the precious metal is not digested and therefore, stays effective for longer in the digestive tract. The researchers packed all these substances - iron, glucose and gold - into the gel.
Impact Of The Gel On Mice
The researchers found that thirty minutes after the single dose of alcohol, "the prophylactic application of the gel reduced the alcohol level in the mice by 40 per cent. Five hours after alcohol intake, their blood alcohol level had dropped by as much as 56 per cent." It was seen that the harmful acetaldehyde accumulated less in these mice, and they exhibited reduced stress reactions in their livers, which was reflected in better blood values.
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When the mice were given the gel and alcohol for ten days, the mice had a lower alcohol level and also experienced lasting therapeutic effects of the gel -- significantly less weight loss, less liver damage, better fat metabolism in the liver as well as better blood values. Their spleen, intestine, and tissues also showed much less damage caused by alcohol.
Several clinical tests are still required before this gel can be authorised for human use.