Advances in Compounds that Accelerate Alcohol Metabolism

Abstract

Ethanol is a popular beverage ingredient worldwide and plays an important role in everyday life. The use of ethanol drinks can make a person feel happy, reduce anxiety, and at the same time have a certain addictive nature. However, with the increasing use of ethanol, a series of chronic diseases caused by ethanol, such as ethanol poisoning, have gradually become the focus of attention. The frequency of diseases of the digestive system, nervous system and cardiovascular organisms caused by ethanol and its metabolites acetaldehyde and reactive oxygen species (ROS) is also increasing. Currently, many potential compounds that accelerate alcohol metabolism are still under development, anti-alcohol drugs are rare, and the mechanism of action remains controversial. This article first introduces the metabolic process and distribution of ethanol in the human body, including a small number of gastric first-pass metabolism and major liver metabolism. The roles of alcohol dehydrogenase, catalase and cytochrome P450, the three main oxidative metabolic enzymes, in ethanol metabolism are briefly introduced. Some mechanisms of action of alcoholism and related diseases are expounded, and then the types and pathways of polyphenols, polysaccharides, flavonoids, amino acids and other compounds to promote ethanol metabolism and protect ethanol damage were summarized according to these mechanisms. It is hoped that this paper can provide references for subsequent research.