An investigational dementia drug may also ease alcohol withdrawal by calming the brain inflammation linked to and relapse.
Thats according to researchers at the University of Kentucky, who studied an experimental medication called MW150 that targets a brain inflammation pathway known as p38α MAPK.
The drug, which has not yet been approved, is designed to treat Alzheimers disease.
Scientists believe neuroinflammation may contribute to relapse risk and long-term neurological damage in people with .
In laboratory and animal-model experiments, MW150 was found to reduce certain inflammatory markers during alcohol withdrawal.
The work, which was published in the journal Alcohol, came from the University of Kentuckys Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, led by neuroinflammation researcher Linda Van Eldik.
Caleb Bailey, Ph.D., co-author of the study and a researcher in Van Eldiks lab, said the study provides “biological plausibility” that MW150 could mitigate neuroinflammation arising from alcohol withdrawal.
Alcohol use disorder is difficult to treat because of , especially during withdrawal, according to Bailey.
“If follow-up experiments reveal similar anti-inflammatory effects of MW150 in animal models of alcohol use disorder, it would provide a strong rationale for development of MW150 as a treatment for those struggling with chronic alcohol relapse due to alcohol withdrawal,” he told Fox News Digital.
Along with a related drug called Neflamapimod, MW150 is already being investigated in clinical trials as a and other neurodegenerative conditions, the researchers noted.
“That gives this work added significance,” Bailey said. “Because these compounds are already further along in development for other neurological diseases, it raises the possibility that they could someday be repurposed more efficiently for alcohol-related conditions if continue to show promise.”
There were some important caveats to the research, including that it was conducted in cell culture and animal models.
“Because they are dish-based models, they provide limited information regarding what happens in the full organism â or even the full brain for that matter,” Bailey said.
“A series of follow-up studies in living animals is required to more fully understand how future MW150 treatment in alcohol use and withdrawal affects and/or alcohol consumption.”
Dr. Amy Swift, deputy chief medical officer at Silver Hill Hospital in Connecticut, was not involved in the study but shared her reactions to the findings.
“Although detoxification using tapering doses of medication has long been considered the evidence-based first step in treating alcohol use disorder, its impact on the long-term trajectory of a persons drinking behavior has been limited,” she told Fox News Digital.
“Put simply, detoxification does not treat alcohol use disorder itself; rather, it prevents the potentially fatal complications of alcohol withdrawal.”
Adding supportive medications â especially those intended to improve overall â could address an important gap in early treatment of detoxification, according to Swift.
“Given the profound inflammatory effects alcohol has across multiple organ systems, it is worthwhile to investigate whether could improve a patients ability to engage in treatment earlier in recovery and, in turn, meaningfully alter their long-term relationship with alcohol,” she added.
Bailey emphasized that no amount of alcohol consumption is good from a physical health standpoint.
“We don’t currently have robust pharmacological treatments to mitigate damage caused by ,” he said. “Minimizing alcohol consumption, therefore, is the best strategy for staying healthy.”
As the MW150 compound continues to be studied for dementia patients, Bailey saud, “information regarding the interaction between â for better or for worse â will be important for patien
