A comparative blinded study in miniature swine of whole blood-, hemoglobin-, platelet-, plasma-, and lymphocyte-associated acetaldehyde as markers for ethanol intake.
Blood samples were obtained from miniature swine maintained on 0, 2, or 6 g/kg/24 hr ethanol for 8 months (N = 6 in each group). Samples from drinking pigs were taken after 8 hr of ethanol abstinence and all were coded and sent for "blinded" analysis. A fluorigenic high performance liquid chromatographic assay was used to quantify whole blood-associated acetaldehyde, hemoglobin-associated acetaldehyde, plasma-associated acetaldehyde, platelet-associated acetaldehyde, and lymphocyte-associated acetaldehyde. Detectable levels of acetaldehyde were found in each sample in both drinking and nondrinking pigs. Analysis of whole blood-associated acetaldehyde was most discriminatory in distinguishing nondrinking from drinking pigs (mean 21.4 +/- 1.0 microM for nondrinkers vs. 24.6 +/- 1.5 SD for the group consuming 2 g/kg ethanol, p = 0.001). Measurements of hemoglobin-associated acetaldehyde normalized to protein concentration (250 +/- 47 nmoles/g vs. 203 +/- 33 SD, p less than 0.05 drinking vs. nondrinking pigs) and platelet-associated acetaldehyde (0.46 0.34 vs. 0.15 +/- 0.16 nmoles/3 x 10(8) platelets, p = 0.05 drinking vs. nondrinking pigs) were also useful in discriminating drinking from nondrinking animals. Analysis of plasma-associated acetaldehyde and lymphocyte-associated acetaldehyde were not useful as markers of ethanol consumption.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Peterson
C M
CM
Sansum Medical Research Foundation, Santa Barbara, California 93105.
Scott
B K
BK
Sun
G Y
GY
Sun
A Y
AY
D000079:Acetaldehyde / Q000097:blood*; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000097:blood*; D000818:Animals; D001792:Blood Platelets / Q000378:metabolism*; D000431:Ethanol / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D006452:Hemoglobinometry; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D010949:Plasma / Q000378:metabolism*; D013552:Swine; D013556:Swine, Miniature
D000431:Ethanol; D000079:Acetaldehyde