title: Humoral immune response to acetaldehyde adducts in alcoholic patients.
abstract: Sera of alcoholic patients were found to contain antibodies to acetaldehyde adducts as determined by immunodiffusion. Differences in antibody levels were determined by hemagglutination with acetaldehyde adduct-conjugated red blood cells. Anti-acetaldehyde adduct immunoglobulin titers in 21 healthy, non-drinking individuals ranged from 10-80, whereas 25 of 34 alcoholics had titers of 160 or above (P less than 0.001). Rabbit-polyclonal and mouse-monoclonal antibodies against acetaldehyde adducts did not agglutinate red blood cells of alcoholic patients, indicating that no detectable acetaldehyde-altered epitopes are present on erythrocyte membranes. These results suggest that acetaldehyde-induced immunogenic determinants can initiate a humoral immune response which may differentiate alcoholics from non-alcoholics.
mesh_terms: D000079:Acetaldehyde / Q000276:immunology*; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000276:immunology*; D000906:Antibodies / Q000032:analysis*; D006386:Hemagglutination Tests; D006433:Hemocyanins / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D005779:Immunodiffusion; D012709:Serum Albumin / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D012709:Serum Albumin; D006433:Hemocyanins; D000079:Acetaldehyde