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The Effect of Fusaric Acid, Inhibitor of Dopamine β‐hydroxylase, on Reaction to Alcohol in Chronic Alcoholics: Clinical Findings
Author(s) -
OGATA Motoi,
SANADA Hiroshi,
TERAOKA Masatoshi
Publication year - 1972
Publication title -
psychiatry and clinical neurosciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.609
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1440-1819
pISSN - 1323-1316
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-1819.1972.tb01106.x
Subject(s) - disulfiram , fusaric acid , alcohol , pharmacology , dopamine , chemistry , medicine , anesthesia , biochemistry , fusarium , horticulture , biology
Summary In order to explore the question if dopamine β‐hydroxylase inhibitor alone has a disulfiram‐like effect on alcohol, fusaric acid, a potent inhibitor of dopamine β‐hydroxylase, was administered to 23 gamma alcoholics. The alcohol‐test was made twice, prior to administration of fusaric acid and after one week of the treatment. Significant effects of the agent on reaction to alcohol were observed in the symptom of flushing of face, a fall in blood pressure, change of the taste, and feeling of getting drunk. These symptoms were more slight than those of the alcohol‐disulfiram reaction. However, it was emphasized that the mechanism of the alcohol‐disulfiram reaction is not explained by only a transient hyperacetaldehydemia, but may be also related to the metabolism of both catecholamines and serotonin. Further clinical studies are needed to assess therapeutic use of te compound in the treatment of chronic alcoholism. The fusaric acid was supplied from Banyu Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. with a favor of Professor Hamao Umezawa, Director of Institute of Biseibutsu Kagaku to meet with the request of one of the authors, Motoi Ogata, M.D.