A Scripps Research Institute study published in the Journal of Neuroinflammation on May 22, 2026, found that an anti-inflammatory molecule approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration reduced excessive alcohol consumption in alcohol-dependent female mice. The research focused on the molecule interleukin-6, or IL-6, which is produced by the body in response to stress, infection, and injury.

Researchers confirmed that chronic alcohol exposure increased levels of IL-6 signaling in the central amygdala of mice, a brain region linked to addiction behaviors. The study showed that in alcohol-dependent mice, IL-6 suppressed the central amygdala's gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) system. "GABA is an important brake signal that the brain uses to dampen the activity of neurons," said Chloe Erikson, a postdoctoral fellow. "When this braking system gets weakened, over-excitation can result." Erikson added, "That loss of inhibitory control plays a large role in alcohol use disorder-associated behaviors like alcohol consumption, craving and withdrawal."

The researchers administered an antibody targeting the IL-6 receptor to alcohol-dependent mice. This antibody is the same class of drug used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and works by binding to the IL-6 receptor, which prevents IL-6 from acting on cells throughout the body, including the brain. Following this treatment, alcohol-dependent female mice drank less alcohol. Alcohol-dependent male mice showed no change in alcohol consumption after receiving the treatment, and non-dependent animals of both sexes also showed no change.

Female mice in the study drank more alcohol than males. "In the human literature, we know that women are more prone to autoimmune diseases, so while the positive results in our female mice were surprising, they aligned with the clinical data," said Celsey St. Onge, a postdoctoral fellow. The research team also analyzed postmortem brain tissue from 30 humans diagnosed with alcohol use disorder and 30 individuals without the disorder, identifying 377 differentially expressed genes between the two groups.

IL-6 levels and several other inflammation-related genes were elevated in humans with alcohol use disorder compared to those without it. Marisa Roberto, a professor of translational medicine, commented, "This disorder is, in part, driven by damage to our neuroimmune system." Roberto added, "Targeting this system might be an exciting clinical avenue to follow up with in the coming years."