Spanish scientists have tested a new compound in mice that helps reduce alcohol consumption and decrease the 'craving' for drinking associated with this addiction. Although it is not available for use in humans, it is a step towards personalized treatments for alcoholism.Named MCH11 and tested at the Miguel Hernández University (UMH) in Elche (eastern Spain), the compound has shown promising results in mice, although males needed smaller doses than females to achieve similar results, the authors of the study published in the scientific journal 'Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy' point out. The compound was developed by scientists from the Institute of Neurosciences (a joint center of UMH and the Spanish National Research Council), the Institute of Health and Biomedical Research of Alicante, and the Research Network in Primary Care for Addictions. Alcohol use disorder is one of the most prevalent addictions worldwide and causes 2.6 million deaths annually. However, 'current therapies are showing serious limitations,' explains Abraham Torregrosa, the study's first author, who points out that up to 70% of patients return to drinking alcohol in the first year of treatment. To find a more effective therapy, the team focused on the endocannabinoid system, a signaling network that connects the nervous system with the rest of the body and is involved in the regulation of pleasure, motivation, and stress—key processes in alcohol addiction. In people with alcoholism, the system reduces levels of the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG), which is involved in many brain regulatory processes, such as the sense of well-being and the control of the impulse to consume. MCH11 inhibits the enzyme monoacylglycerol lipase, whose normal function is to metabolize 2-AG, and by blocking it, it increases the amount of 2-AG available in the brain, which significantly reduces the motivation to drink alcohol. 'Our results demonstrate that MCH11 acts on the mechanisms of the nervous system that help control the impulse to consume alcohol, without producing unwanted side effects,' at least in mice and at the doses tested, summarizes the study's director and UMH professor, Jorge Manzanares. Sex DifferencesAlthough treatment with MCH11 in mice has demonstrated its anxiolytic and antidepressant properties (which also do not interfere with motor or cognitive function), the experiments revealed significant differences between sexes. 'In males, the response to treatment was effective with low and medium doses, while females required higher doses to obtain similar effects,' points out Manzanares. The team not only observed the improvement in the animals' behavior but also confirmed it at a genetic level through PCR analysis. Additionally, they also tested a combined treatment of MCH11 with topiramate, a medication that is clinically used to treat alcohol addiction. 'The combination of both compounds is the most effective,' affirms Manzanares, who highlights the potential of MCH11 as part of a combined and personalized therapy, adapted to the biological differences between men and women. The professor states that although these results are still preliminary, they are 'very promising'.
