# Single propofol dose cuts alcohol drinking in mice for about six days via habenular 5-HT2C receptors

- Published: 2026-11-07 19:11 UTC
- Section: Life & Health › Neurotechnology
- Tags: propofol alcohol drinking, lateral habenula, 5-HT2C receptor, V209 binding site, habenular ensemble, alcohol consumption in mice, Xuzhou Medical University, Nature Communications, anesthetic neuroscience
- URL: https://realtech.media/news/rt-9211598057e33e9649991409_single_propofol_dose/

**Researchers at Xuzhou Medical University found that one propofol dose reduced alcohol consumption in mice for about six days; the effect depended on a binding site on 5-HT2C receptors.**

![Single propofol dose cuts alcohol drinking in mice for about six days via habenular 5-HT2C receptors](https://realtech.media/media/2026/11/05609ff7284f6910.jpg)
*Rama, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0 fr*

A team from Xuzhou Medical University, together with colleagues from Renji Hospital of Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, reports in Nature Communications that a single dose of the intravenous anesthetic propofol rapidly and persistently reduced alcohol consumption in mice. The reduction lasted approximately six days. [1] The work was done in mice, and the paper describes a mechanism of the effect rather than a treatment.

## Lateral habenula and the activated ensemble

The study targeted the lateral habenula (LHb), a brain region that regulates alcohol consumption. Neurons of the LHb are highly sensitive and responsive to propofol. According to the authors, it had remained unknown whether and how habenular neurons activated by propofol regulate alcohol drinking. [1]

The authors report that the effect on drinking is mediated by sustained hyperactivity of the habenular ensemble activated by propofol. In other words, the group of LHb neurons that responds to the anesthetic stays overactive, and this activity accompanies the lower alcohol intake observed in the animals. [1]

## 5-HT2C receptors and the V209 site

The activated ensemble is enriched in 5-HT2C receptors. The authors identify the V209 site as the specific binding site through which propofol induces activation of the ensemble. [1]

When this binding was disrupted, two outcomes disappeared: the propofol-induced activation of the habenular ensemble and the subsequent reduction in alcohol drinking. This links the behavioral effect to a defined molecular interaction rather than to a general action of the anesthetic. [1]

The authors state that their findings pinpoint a locus of 5-HT2C receptor action within the LHb through which propofol suppresses alcohol consumption. They describe the result as a mechanistic framework for understanding alcohol drinking behavior. [1]

The material reports results in mice only. It gives no data on humans, and it does not describe any dosing regimen for clinical use.

## Sources

1. [Nature Communications](https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-79118-z)

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Source: RealTech, realtech.media — https://realtech.media/news/rt-9211598057e33e9649991409_single_propofol_dose/