Recent research developments in the alcohol use disorder (AUD) field have prompted researchers to invest in novel approaches to evaluate alcohol craving. Neuroendocrine pathways portray activity within the central nervous system (CNS) with potential biomarkers that can be collected safely at the peripheral level. Traditionally, one of the most studied neuroendocrine systems, especially when applied to treating AUD, is the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis; however, recently, there has been interest in the gut-liver-brain axis as appetite-related neuroendocrine pathways may affect alcohol craving. This narrative review reports on both preclinical and clinical studies to evaluate ghrelin and insulin as hormonal biomarkers to quantify craving and the recent research on glucagon-like-peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists, regarding them as potential treatment options for people with AUD. Collecting and measuring those hormones may offer the opportunity to investigate novel ways to investigate alcohol cravings. Those analytical measures could provide clinicians with novel critical information regarding the severity of a patient’s condition and, thus, be able to provide their patients with more personalized and effective treatments.
- Nutr Cur 2024; 03(Special 1): e150
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is frequent globally and is responsible for more than 5% of the global burden of disease and mortality.
- Teo Vignoli, Fabio Caputo, Roberta Agabio, Pierluigi Allosio, Maria Francesca Amendola, Sarino Aricò, Aniello Baselice, Patrizia Balbinot, Vito Antonio Campanile, Tiziana Fanucchi, Claudia Gandin, Livia Macciò, Paolo Enrico Carlo Marzorati, Cristina Meneguzzi, Davide Mioni, Andrea Noventa, Michele Parisi, Andrea Quartini, Mariano Quartini, Doda Renzetti, Maria Raffaella Rossin, Valeria Zavan, Paolo Cimarosti, Franco Marcomini, Valentino Patussi, Emanuele Scafato, Gianni Testino
