There are evidences that some persons take alcohol to reduce stress after their daily tasks or adverse situations. Recent studies reveal that chronic use of alcohol known as “alcohol use disorder (AUD)” exacerbate stress-induced psychological changes. However, we do not know how AUD negatively impacts stress to cause more harms in the brain. Also, studies on the appropriate therapeutic agents that can effectively reverse the combinatorial effect of stress and AUD, notably their comorbidity, to date, has been scarce.

In this study titled “Diosgenin Alleviates Alcohol-Mediated Escalation of Social Defeat Stress and the Neurobiological Sequelae” published in Psychopharmacology, a very prestigious journal in the field,” Dr Ben-Azu and research team, including some of his Undergraduate students (Gideon Odjugo, Vincent I. Omozojie, Goddey Ejomafuwe, and Nzubechukwu Onike) at Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, Delta State University, Abraka explored the potential therapeutic effects of diosgenin, a promising phyto-steriodal compound, in mitigating the negative impacts of regular alcohol consumption during chronic stress. Diosgenin, which is found in several plants including yam, as well as fruits and vegetables, has diverse important medicinal properties such as hypolipidemic, hypoglycaemic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antiproliferative activities. More specifically, Dr Ben-Azu and his team were focused on how excessive alcohol intake exacerbates social defeat stress, a real-life stress model that occur during social confrontations, characterized by social bullying, intimidation, and heightened anxiety, and changes in brain chemistry.

Through a series of experiments, the researchers found that treatment with diosgenin reduced the escalation of social defeat stress caused by regular alcohol consumption for 21 days. Therapeutic intervention with diosgenin enabled the mice to demonstrate improved memory function, reduced the negative behavior similar to depression, with increased boldness of the mice by reducing their anxiety level. Also, there was great improvements in the different brain substances and chemicals measured relevant for healthier brain, suggesting its potential to counteract the detrimental effects of alcohol on brain function following continuous usage. Interestingly, their reports also showed that diosgenin reverses the negative impacts of chronic stress and alcohol consumption based on its ability to reduce the production of toxic stress substances (such as corticosterone) from the brain center that regulate stress (such as the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis). Additionally, the investigators moreover showed that alcohol worsened social defeat stress-facilitated

release of brain inflammatory mediators and excessive generation of free radicals (substances release in the body that can accelerate aging) with low levels of antioxidants in important areas implicated memory impairment and depression, which were significantly reduced because of diosgenin intervention.

Overall, the findings highlight diosgenin as a promising candidate for further research as a potential therapeutic agent for treating the negative consequences of alcohol consumption during mental stress.