Review Articles
Vol. 90 No. 2 (2017)
https://doi.org/10.4081/jbr.2017.6751

Acetaldehyde and salsolinol in ethanol’s two-step mechanism of action: An overview

Publisher's note
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
Received: 14 April 2017
Published: 12 February 2018
1338
Views
575
Downloads
ethanol, acetaldehyde, salsolinol, reward

Authors

Angela Cavallaro
angela.cavallaro3@gmail.com
Department of Sciences for Health Promotion, Child & Maternal Care, "G. D'Alessandro", University of Palermo, Italy.
Gianluca Lavanco
Department of Sciences for Health Promotion, Child & Maternal Care, "G. D'Alessandro", University of Palermo, Italy.
Marco Giammanco
Department of Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neurosciences, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
Emanuele Cannizzaro
Department of Sciences for Health Promotion, Child & Maternal Care, "G. D'Alessandro", University of Palermo, Italy.
In the last years, numerous studies have supported the idea that, at least in part, motivational and neuropharmacological effects of ethanol are mediated by its first brain-derived metabolite, acetaldehyde, and its bioderivate salsolinol. This review aims at gathering and shaping as a whole the evidence on their role in the mechanism of action of ethanol. Acetaldehyde and salsolinol interact with the reward brain system and are involved as primum movens of motivational and addictive behaviour that can be especially relevant to ethanol use disorders. Understanding the neurobiology of acetaldehyde and salsolinol holds promising potential for the development of novel pharmacological approaches for reducing ethanol abuse.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

How to Cite



Acetaldehyde and salsolinol in ethanol’s two-step mechanism of action: An overview. (2018). Journal of Biological Research - Bollettino Della Società Italiana Di Biologia Sperimentale, 90(2). https://doi.org/10.4081/jbr.2017.6751

PAGEPress has chosen to apply the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0) to all manuscripts to be published.