Dietary supplementation of gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) in the form of a commercial drug neoglandin (containing GLA and vitamin E), in people following alcohol abuse allows bypassing of the ineffective delta-6-desaturase system involved in the transformation of linoleic acid into GLA. Determination of the activity of N-acetyl-β-D-hexosaminidase (HEX) in the serum and urine reflects neoglandin action on the catabolism of glycoconjugates and the functioning of liver and kidneys in people following alcohol abuse.
Material and methods: The serum and urine were collected from men with alcohol dependence, treated (n = 31, age 33.16 ± 9.72 years) and not treated (n = 50, age 35.46 ± 11.37 years) with neoglandin. HEX activity were assayed in the supernatants by the colorimetric method, with the p-nitrophenyl derivative of sugar as substrate.
Results: Our study on alcoholic men not treated with neoglandin indicates a significantly higher concentration of the serum and urinary HEX activity (nKat/L) on day 1 compared to days 7, 10, 14 and 30 (p < 0.001). For days 14 and 30 (p < 0.01), the urinary HEX activity was expressed in μKat/kgCr. No significant differences were observed in the activity of serum (nKat/L) and urinary (nKat/L and μKat/kgCr) HEX in alcoholics during treatment with neoglandin compared to day 1 of neoglandin treatment. We found significantly different (p < 0.05) concentration of HEX activity (nKat/L) in serum of alcohol-dependent men treated with neoglandin compared to those not taking neoglandin on days 7, 10, 14 and 30 of treatment. The urinary concentration of HEX activity (nKat/L) on days 1, 4, 10 and 30 and HEX activity in μKat/kgCr on days 1, 4 and 7 it was significantly higher (p < 0.05) during the treatment of alcohol-dependence without the use of neoglandin as compared to alcoholics treated with neoglandin. We found a positive correlation between the amount of alcohol consumed and the urinary activity of HEX in the early phase after alcohol withdrawal and a lack of correlation between the HEX activity in serum and urine of alcohol-dependent men not treated with neoglandin.
Conclusions: Neoglandin supplementation in alcoholic men significantly slows down the catabolism of glycoconjugates, thus reducing the effects of ethanol poisoning that are harmful to the kidneys. Neoglandin reduces the harmful effects of ethanol poisoning more on the kidneys than on the liver. The activity of HEX in the serum may be used in monitoring the treatment of alcoholism and whether alcohol reuse occurred during the therapy. In the early stages of alcohol withdrawal, urinary HEX activity can be used as a marker of the amount of alcohol consumed during previous alcohol abuse.
Keywords: N-acetyl-β-D-hexosaminidase (HEX); alcohol addiction; neoglandin; serum; urine.