Effects and Action Mechanisms of Korean Pear (Pyrus pyrifolia cv. Shingo) on Alcohol Detoxification
Lee HS, Isse T, Kawamoto T, Woo HS, Kim AK, Park JY, Yang M · Phytotherapy Research · 2012 March 26
DOI 10.1002/ptr.4630
Objective
To investigate the mechanism of alcohol detoxification by Korean pear extract using in vitro and in vivo studies with an altered aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) animal model.
Conclusions
Korean pear extract was found to stimulate alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and ALDH activities, decrease alcohol levels in blood regardless of ALDH2 genotype, and increase acetaldehyde levels only in Aldh2 deficient mice, suggesting that the main mechanism of Korean pears for alcohol detoxification is through stimulating alcohol-metabolizing enzymes and that individual variations in the effects may be due to human ALDH2 polymorphisms.
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Insights
Korean pears potentially boost key alcohol-metabolizing enzymes, aiding alcohol detoxification, with effects that may vary due to human ALDH2 polymorphisms.
The study utilized both in vitro and in vivo testing with a model of aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) alternation. Korean pear extract was administered to mice exhibiting normal (C57BL/6) and deficient (Aldh2 -/-) Aldh2. Following this, the mice were given ethanol through gavage after a timeframe of 30 minutes. Implementation of GC/MS enabled quantification of alcohol and acetaldehyde levels in the blood samples.
Discussion of Results: The results from the study revealed that Korean pears stimulate activities of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and ALDH in vitro and in vivo, subsequently reducing blood alcohol levels regardless of ALDH2 genotype. Interestingly, the extract increased the acetaldehyde levels in blood in Aldh2 deficient mice but not in Aldh2 normal mice. This indicates that the key enzymes involved in alcohol metabolism are stimulated by Korean pears, which could be the primary mechanism involved in alcohol detoxification. Furthermore, the variations in human ALDH2 polymorphisms could result in individual variations to the detoxification effects of Korean pears.
