A combination of multi-strain probiotics, prebiotic, and plant extracts improves ethanol-induced hangover outcomes in a zebrafish model

Background: Alcohol use, even in moderation, causes hangover discomforts. It has been reported that alcohol-associated symptoms can be improved by either probiotics or medicinal plant extracts to some extent. However, the effects of a combination of multi-strain probiotics, prebiotic, and plant extracts have not been fully explored. Objective: Our main goal is to assess behavioral responses and alcohol metabolism in zebrafish treated with a combination of multi-strain probiotics, prebiotic, and plant extracts after ethanol administration. Methods: In this study, the zebrafish were first treated with the probiotic-prebiotic-plant extract mixture, and then was exposed to different levels of ethanol. The moving distance and activities of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) of zebrafish were measured after ethanol treatment. Results: This probiotic-prebiotic-plant extract mixture significantly improved total distance moved and activities of ADH and ALDH in zebrafish treated with either 1.5% or 4.0% ethanol. In particular, the mixture outperformed plant extracts (both at 250μg/mL) in total distance moved under 1.5% ethanol administration and degrading acetaldehyde under 4.0% ethanol treatment. Conclusion: A combination of probiotics, prebiotic, and plant extracts effectively mitigated hangover symptoms in cases of moderate and heavy alcohol use and demonstrated superior performance in acetaldehyde metabolism compared to plant extracts alone after heavy drinking, based on a zebrafish model. Keywords: probiotic, prebiotic, Hovenia dulcis, kudzu root, curcumin, ethanol, hangover, behavior, metabolism, zebrafish.