The Three Drunk Mice 
Alcohol consumption seems to be the topic on every scientist’s minds these past few weeks and who am I to stop the momentum? 

Alcoholic mice have been undergoing rehabilitation at the University of California, Los Angeles under the extended care of a team looking to not only sober them up, but decrease their liver damage.

The UCLA team has discovered an enzyme complex that can be used to sober up drunken mice as discussed in an article released online by Nature Nanotechnology this past Sunday. Not only is this a trailblazing idea for drinkers and alcoholics alike, but also there is an application to future use of these techniques with other diseases.

The enzymes that break down alcohol in the body can only break down the ethanol for so long. When these enzymes cannot keep up with the shots lined up at the bar, that is when you start to feel drunk. Such enzymes are alcohol dehydrogenase, cytochrome P450, and catalase.

In the context of this study, a super enzyme (nanocomplex) of catalase and alcohol oxidase was made by using the characteristics known of these enzymes to string them together. This known characteristic is called an “inhibitor DNA complex” and it has been created to have an inhibitor DNA complex per each enzyme on it. What this inhibitor DNA complex does, is bind the desired enzymes to where they normally would in the body so that they stick to the strand of DNA. Then these bound enzymes and inhibitor DNA complexes are wrapped in a polymer coating to keep them stable and safe. To complete this production of a nanocomplex, the inhibitor DNA complexes are removed from the enzymes. Now, we have an active, ready-to-go nanocomplex to be introduced into the body for whichever purpose it was intended. 



An illustration of the enzyme nanocomplex synthesis.
Regardless of the complicated process required to make these nanocomplexes, the ones developed in this research project were proven to lower the BAC and ALT (alanine transaminase) levels in intoxicated mice. Although the increased breakdown of alcohol in the body is important for individuals trying to sober up, the decreased amount of ALT present in the body is what is particularly interesting. ALT is an enzyme biomarker for liver disease. By “enzyme biomarker”, I mean a clue for scientists to determine whether or not there is damage in the liver occurring. When taken with alcohol, this nanocomplex lowers the amount of ALT present after alcohol consumption, which means it can help prevent liver disease.

Now that scientists have proven they can sober up mice, they are moving on to show it works identically in humans and, more importantly, apply this nanocomplex technology to other diseases. Yunfeng Lu, one of the leading professors for this research project, has begun investigating whether or not male pattern baldness can be cured with a special tailored enzyme nanocomplex.

Cancer, type-1 diabetes, Alzheimer’s? The possibilities are endless with this new science and I cannot wait to see how far nanocomplexes are taken in the field of medicine.

Once again science, you rock.

Kayte Bataille