Almost everyone knows alcohol can be detrimental to the liver and the brain, but what about the cardiovascular system?

Dr. Brown studies the active metabolites of alcohol and how they interact with the cardiovascular system.

With studies showing red wine may be good for the heart, it gets kind of confusing. But Ricardo Brown, PhD, is working to show that drinking alcohol in moderation is key to keeping a healthy heart.
"I've attempted to study how acute and chronic alcohol consumption reduces the ability of the heart's muscles to contract," said Dr. Brown, associate professor of physiology.

His work, partially funded by the American Heart Association and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, has shown that the primary metabolic byproduct of alcohol, acetaldehyde, is far more toxic than alcohol itself. In his earliest studies, which began more than 10 years ago, Dr. Brown found that when he measured the ability of rats' hearts to contract after being exposed to alcohol or acetaldehyde, those that had been exposed to the byproduct were 10 times worse off than those exposed to just alcohol.

From there, Dr. Brown looked into whether those who suffered from diabetic cardiomyopathy or hypertension were worse off than those with normal hearts in response to alcohol consumption. Again, using diabetic or hypertensive rats as models, he found that the ability of the heart to contract in the presence of alcohol was even more depressed.

So what was going on to diminish the ability of the heart to perform its most vital function: pumping blood throughout the body?

After successfully replicating the results of his earlier research at the cellular level, Dr. Brown confirmed his theory that the acetaldehyde reduced calcium entry into heart cells, reducing inter-cellular exchanges that allow the heart to pump. The exposure to alcohol also caused cardiomyopathy, a condition in which the chambers of the heart are dilated more than normal. 

"The next step is how can we treat or prevent cardiomyopathy," Dr. Brown said.
We believe magnesium is a key factor, he said. Because alcoholics urinate unusually large amounts of magnesium due to drinking, Dr. Brown believes the harsh effects of drinking on the heart could be reduced by a diet high in magnesium or magnesium supplements. 

He proved his theory again by exposing rats' hearts to ethanol, or alcohol, and then feeding them diets enriched with magnesium. The extent of the damage to the heart was reduced significantly. 

Perhaps, he said, alcohol manufacturers could even add magnesium into the products themselves, since it is usually unlikely that an alcoholic will follow doctors' orders to increase magnesium intake.

Dr. Brown's work certainly doesn't end in the lab. He frequently travels to high schools throughout southeastern Michigan for the School of Medicine's Minority Recruitment Outreach Program. He is greatly concerned with minority representation in medicine and serves as a mentor to young students who may be considering scientific and medical careers. He participates in a summer study program and hosts minority students in his laboratory, to give them beginning exposures to biomedical professions. Specifically, he participates in the National Institutes of Health program--Minority Access to Research Careers.

Although research is close to his heart, Dr. Brown also fulfills an important mission through teaching. He teaches medical students and graduate students about cardiovascular electrophysiology, electrocardiology and cardiac muscle mechanisms in several courses every year and has been a recipient of WSU's College Teaching Award. He considers it a scientist's responsibility to pass knowledge and understanding to upcoming investigators.