14 DAY TRIAL // A team of researchers at the Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center at the University of California, San Francisco, and Pfizer Inc., have identified two new compounds that can be very efficient in helping people get rid of their alcohol and nicotine addictions, at the same time.
Like most findings, this one too was made possible thanks to mice, because the researchers found that the alcohol consumption in rodents was seriously lowered by two compounds, targeting the neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) subtype β3β4.
nAChRs are proteins found in the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system that moderate the effects of substances like nicotine.
Co-senior author Selena E. Bartlett, PhD, director of the Preclinical Development group at the Gallo Center says that “alcohol and nicotine addiction are often treated as separate disorders, despite the fact that 60 to 80 percent of heavy drinkers smoke tobacco.
“There are very few effective strategies for treating these disorders separately, let alone together.
'Our data suggest that by targeting specific nAChR subtypes, it may be possible to treat both alcohol and nicotine dependence with one medication.”
The two compounds are CP-601932 and PF-4575180, both developed by Pfizer.
The first one has been proven to be safe for humans, in a clinical study, so Bartlett recommends that this compound is tested to see whether it is efficient in treating both alcohol and cigarette addictions, and what benefits could it have, if any.
In the rodents' case, the compound was efficient against alcohol consumption, without affecting their intake of sucrose.
Bartlett explained that this means “that unlike currently approved alcohol abuse medications, the compounds do not interfere with the brain's natural reward system in a larger way.”
Susmita Chatterjee, PhD, of the Gallo Center is the lead author of the study and has been working with Bartlett, and they both say that the main concern until now has been finding a way of transforming previous genetic findings into more effective medications for people.
The research was carried out in collaboration with scientists led by co-senior author Hans Rollema, PhD, in the Neuroscience Research Unit at Pfizer Inc., and the findings are detailed in a paper published in the November 3, 2010 issue of Neuropsychopharmacology.