| Literature DB >> 11139417 |
H Kinoshita1, D S Jessop, D P Finn, T L Coventry, D J Roberts, K Ameno, I Jiri, M S Harbuz.
Abstract
Cyanamide is a potent inhibitor of aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH: EC 1.2.1.3) used in the treatment of alcoholics. In the presence of ethanol, cyanamide causes an accumulation of acetaldehyde, a highly toxic metabolite of ethanol, with unpleasant side-effects. A similar accumulation is seen in some Oriental people with low ALDH activity. We have investigated the effects of ethanol and cyanamide administration on the activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis using in situ hybridization histochemistry and radioimmunoassay. Ethanol plus cyanamide resulted in a significant increase in corticotrophin-releasing factor and arginine vasopressin mRNA in the paraventricular nucleus, and pro-opiomelanocortin mRNA in the anterior pituitary. Plasma corticosterone concentrations were also significantly elevated following ethanol plus cyanamide administration. The blood concentration of acetaldehyde in the ethanol plus cyanamide group increased significantly. These results suggest that acetaldehyde, induced by blocking ethanol metabolism, is able to activate the HPA axis operating through a central mechanism.Entities:
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Year: 2001 PMID： 11139417 DOI： 10.1093/alcalc/36.1.59
Source DB: PubMed Journal: Alcohol Alcohol ISSN： 0735-0414 Impact factor: 2.826