A new protein-based gel has been created by researchers that can break down alcohol in the gastrointestinal tract without causing any harm to the body. In the future, using this gel could potentially help individuals lessen the negative and intoxicating effects of alcohol consumption.
Alcohol mainly enters the bloodstream through the mucous membrane layer of the stomach and intestines. It is widely accepted that even small amounts of alcohol can impair a person’s ability to concentrate and react, leading to an increased risk of accidents. Regularly consuming large quantities of alcohol can have detrimental effects on one’s health, often resulting in liver disease and other health issues.Reducing damage to the liver, easing inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, and lowering the risk of cancer are all issues that concern the World Health Organization due to the approximately 3 million annual deaths caused by excessive alcohol consumption. A team of researchers at ETH Zurich has developed a protein gel that can help address these concerns. The gel has the ability to break down alcohol in the gastrointestinal tract, converting it into harmless acetic acid before it has a chance to enter the bloodstream and cause intoxication or other harmful effects. This breakthrough was recently detailed in the journal Nature Nanotechnology, and the researchers found that the gel is able to efficiently and quickly neutralize alcohol in mice.
“The gel shifts the breakdown of alcohol from the liver to the digestive tract, preventing the production of harmful acetaldehyde,” said Professor Raffaele Mezzenga from the Laboratory of Food & Soft Materials at ETH Zurich. Acetaldehyde, which is toxic and responsible for health problems caused by excessive alcohol consumption, is not produced as an intermediate product when alcohol is metabolized in the digestive tract.
In the future, the gel could be taken orally before or during alcohol consumption to prevent blood alcohol levels from rising and acetaldehyde from damaging the body. This would be a new approach compared to many existing products.The gel available on the market addresses both the symptoms and causes of harmful alcohol consumption. However, it is only effective when there is still alcohol in the gastrointestinal tract. This means it cannot help with alcohol poisoning once the alcohol has entered the bloodstream. Additionally, it does not reduce overall alcohol consumption. According to Mezzenga, “It’s healthier not to drink alcohol at all. However, the gel could be of particular interest to people who don’t want to give up alcohol completely, but don’t want to put a strain on their bodies and aren’t actively seeking the effects of alcohol.”
Main ingredients: Whey, iron and gold
The scientists utilized common whey proteins to create the gel. They simmered them for an extended period to create long, slender fibrils. Introducing salt and water as a solvent then causes the fibrils to connect and form a gel. The benefit of a gel over other delivery systems is that it is digested very slowly. However, to break down the alcohol, the gel requires several catalysts.
The researchers utilized individual iron atoms as the primary catalyst, which they dispersed evenly across the surface of the long protein fibrils. “We immersed the fibrils in an iro rnIn the study, ETH researcher Jiaqi Su explains that the intestines need a certain environment to effectively react with alcohol and turn it into acetic acid. A small amount of hydrogen peroxide is required to initiate this reaction, which is produced by a reaction between glucose and gold nanoparticles. Gold was selected as the catalyst for hydrogen peroxide because it remains effective in the digestive tract. The researchers combined iron, glucose, and gold in a gel, resulting in a series of enzymatic reactions.The gel ultimately converts alcohol into acetic acid. The researchers tested the gel’s effectiveness on mice that were given alcohol once and regularly for ten days. Thirty minutes after the single alcohol dose, the gel reduced the alcohol level in the mice by 40 percent. Five hours after alcohol intake, their blood alcohol level had dropped by as much as 56 percent compared to the control group. Harmful acetaldehyde accumulated less in these mice, and they exhibited greatly reduced stress reactions in their liver.In a previous study, researchers observed positive effects of a gel containing iron ions and alcohol dehydrogenase on mice. The mice that received the gel alongside alcohol showed decreased alcohol levels and long-term therapeutic benefits. These mice experienced less weight loss, reduced liver damage, improved fat metabolism in the liver, and better overall blood values. Additionally, the alcohol-related damage to other organs and tissues, such as the spleen and intestine, was significantly reduced. The researchers have a patent pending for this gel.The researchers found that iron reacts with alcohol to produce acetic acid when attached to rough whey protein fibrils. To make the process faster and more efficient, they replaced larger nanoparticles with individual iron atoms. This allows the iron to be distributed more evenly on the surface of the fibrils, leading to a more effective and rapid reaction with alcohol,” Mezzenga explains.
The researchers have filed for a patent for the gel. However, several clinical tests are needed before it can be approved for human use.Researchers are optimistic that this phase will prove successful, as they have already demonstrated the edibility of the whey protein fibrils that form the gel.
