Rosiglitazone relieves acute ethanol-induced hangover in Sprague-Dawley rats.

AIMS

To assess the efficacy of rosiglitazone in blocking ethanol-induced hangover in rats.

METHODS

Rats injected with ethanol (4 g/kg body weight) were subjected to social interaction tests. Levels of aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALD2), involved in an anti-hangover mechanism, were measured by semi-quantitative RT-PCR and western blot analysis.

RESULTS

Rosiglitazone caused an upregulation of mitochondrial ALD2, thus significantly detoxifying acetaldehyde.

CONCLUSIONS

Rosiglitazone alleviated the symptoms of ethanol-induced hangover by inducing ALD2 expression; this result was reconfirmed by eliminating the effect of rosiglitazone by injecting cyanamide, an ALD2 inhibitor.