Mounjaro first gained attention for the significant weight loss it causes in diabetic or obese people. But anecdotal reports suggest something else: under this treatment, some say they snack less, or even feel less attracted to alcohol. Which makes you wonder if this medication can really stop the desire to drink.
Mounjaro: how tirzepatide reduces alcohol consumption in animals
Actively prescribed against type 2 diabetes, Mounjaro contains tirzepatide, a medication that mimics two satiety hormones, GLP-1 and GIP. The team from the University of Gothenburg wanted to see if this molecule also acted on alcohol.
“We observed clear and robust reductions in long-term alcohol consumption, binge drinking, and relapse-type drinking in both male and female animals. What makes this study particularly compelling is that it also provides new insights into how this class of drugs may influence the brain’s reward system“, says Christian Edvardsson, doctoral student in pharmacology at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg.
In a model where rats had access to alcohol every other day, a single dose of tirzepatide more than halved the quantity drunk and curbed binge drinking episodes. After ten days of deprivation, the controls increased their catches by around 60%, while the treated animals reduced them by around 50%.
A direct impact on the reward system and the risk of relapse
The researchers also measured what happens in the brain. Normally, alcohol triggers a spike in
dopamine in the nucleus accumbens, a key region of the reward system that reinforces the desire to drink. With tirzepatide, this peak was largely attenuated, even when alcohol was injected directly into this area.
Another region appears central: the lateral septuma brain area linked to motivation, reward and relapse in both animals and humans. The team observed lastingly reduced synaptic activity and modifications of histone proteins which control the activation of certain genes. Changes in these proteins have previously been linked to substance use and addiction. However, the study does not prove that these changes are the only reason for the decrease in alcohol consumption. Rather, the results indicate that they could be involved in the biological mechanisms influenced by tirzepatide.
At the same time, in drinking rats, tirzepatide reduced weight, fat mass, liver fat and inflammatory markers such as IL-6 or TNFα.
Towards a future treatment for alcohol use disorder?
The big question remains: could this drug one day treat alcohol use disorder in humans? The authors point out that all of this data comes from rodents, with analyzes of mechanisms mainly carried out in males, and that clinical trials are essential.
“It is not yet a new treatment for alcohol use disorder. But the results reinforce the idea that drugs targeting these neural systems may be worth exploring further as treatment options.“, says Elisabet Jerlhag Holm, professor of pharmacology at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg.
Promising, the lead must be confirmed in humans. For now, researchers are talking about a solid hypothesis, but not yet a new treatment for alcohol use disorder.