Alcohol, the psychopharmacologically active ingredient of alcoholic drinks responsible of their addictive potential, represents a threat to both individual and public health being a risk factor of a number of serious pathological condi- tions spanning, besides addiction, from liver and cardiovascular diseases to neurological disorders and cancer. The occurrence of altered behaviors toward uncontrolled alcohol intake is a complex and not yet fully understood phenom- enon. Notwithstanding, it is unanimously recognized that alcohol’s addictive potential resides in its ef!ciency for activating the mesolimbic dopamine system, an ability that involves several central neurotransmitter systems although the speci!c mechanism and site of action are still the subject of intense research. In this regard, recent and compelling evidence points to the two-step metabolic conversion, in the posterior ventral tegmental area (pVTA), of alcohol into acetaldehyde and salsolinol, the latter being the product of condensation between acetaldehyde and dopamine, as the key mechanism for eliciting dopamine trans- mission in the nucleus accumbens and dopamine-mediated behaviors through the involvement of ! opioid receptors. This chapter emphasizes the strategic role of alcohol metabolism and recapitulates the most recent advances in support of the evidence that alcohol is the prodrug of salsolinol for its actions on the dopamine system and hence for its reinforcing effects and addictive liability.

Alcohol as pro-drug of salsolinol in Handbook of Substance Misuse and Addictions: From Biology to Public Health / Bassareo, Valentina; Maccioni, Riccardo; Migheli, Rossana; Peana, Alessandra T.; Caboni, Pierluigi; Acquas, Elio. - (2022), pp. 1-24. [10.1007/978-3-030-67928-6_52-1]

Alcohol as pro-drug of salsolinol in Handbook of Substance Misuse and Addictions: From Biology to Public Health

Rossana Migheli
Membro del Collaboration Group
;
Alessandra T. Peana
Membro del Collaboration Group
;
2022-01-01

Abstract

Alcohol, the psychopharmacologically active ingredient of alcoholic drinks responsible of their addictive potential, represents a threat to both individual and public health being a risk factor of a number of serious pathological condi- tions spanning, besides addiction, from liver and cardiovascular diseases to neurological disorders and cancer. The occurrence of altered behaviors toward uncontrolled alcohol intake is a complex and not yet fully understood phenom- enon. Notwithstanding, it is unanimously recognized that alcohol’s addictive potential resides in its ef!ciency for activating the mesolimbic dopamine system, an ability that involves several central neurotransmitter systems although the speci!c mechanism and site of action are still the subject of intense research. In this regard, recent and compelling evidence points to the two-step metabolic conversion, in the posterior ventral tegmental area (pVTA), of alcohol into acetaldehyde and salsolinol, the latter being the product of condensation between acetaldehyde and dopamine, as the key mechanism for eliciting dopamine trans- mission in the nucleus accumbens and dopamine-mediated behaviors through the involvement of ! opioid receptors. This chapter emphasizes the strategic role of alcohol metabolism and recapitulates the most recent advances in support of the evidence that alcohol is the prodrug of salsolinol for its actions on the dopamine system and hence for its reinforcing effects and addictive liability.
2022
Alcohol as pro-drug of salsolinol in Handbook of Substance Misuse and Addictions: From Biology to Public Health / Bassareo, Valentina; Maccioni, Riccardo; Migheli, Rossana; Peana, Alessandra T.; Caboni, Pierluigi; Acquas, Elio. - (2022), pp. 1-24. [10.1007/978-3-030-67928-6_52-1]
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11388/248355
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