title: Determinants of ethanol and acetaldehyde metabolism in chronic alcoholics.
abstract: We have studied the factors determining the rate of ethanol and acetaldehyde metabolism in a group of 25 alcoholics with varying degrees of liver lesion (from normal liver to cirrhosis) and in six nonalcoholic cirrhotics. In alcoholics the ethanol metabolic rate was related to hepatic function, estimated either by the aminopyrine breath test (r = 0.70, p < 0.001) or the indocyanine green clearance (r = 0.76, p < 0.01), and was independent of the activity of hepatic alcohol dehydrogenase and hepatic blood flow. In nonalcoholic cirrhotics blood acetaldehyde was always below the detection limit (0.5 microM), but elevated levels were found in 14 out of the 25 alcoholics. Alcoholics with elevated blood acetaldehyde showed a significantly higher ethanol metabolic rate than alcoholics with undetectable acetaldehyde (120 +/- 17 mg/kg/hr vs 104 +/- 11 mg/kg/hr, p < 0.02), but no differences were observed in the activities of alcohol and aldehyde dehydrogenases. Peak blood acetaldehyde levels were directly related to the ethanol metabolic rate (r = 0.48, p < 0.02), but not to activities of hepatic alcohol or aldehyde dehydrogenases. These results indicate that in chronic alcoholics the main determinant of the ethanol metabolic rate is hepatic function, while the rise of blood acetaldehyde is mainly dependent on the ethanol metabolic rate. Alcohol and aldehyde dehydrogenase activities do not seem to be rate-limiting factors in the oxidation of ethanol or acetaldehyde.
authors.affiliation: Liver Unit, Hospital Clinic i Provincial, Universitat de Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Panés
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Caballería
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Guitart
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Parés
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Soler
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rodamilans
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Navasa
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Parés
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bosch
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rodés
mesh_terms: D000079:Acetaldehyde / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000426:Alcohol Dehydrogenase / Q000502:physiology; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000444:Aldehyde Dehydrogenase / Q000502:physiology; D000431:Ethanol / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008104:Liver Cirrhosis, Alcoholic / Q000503:physiopathology; D008108:Liver Diseases, Alcoholic / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008111:Liver Function Tests; D008297:Male; D008657:Metabolic Clearance Rate / Q000502:physiology; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D000431:Ethanol; D000426:Alcohol Dehydrogenase; D000444:Aldehyde Dehydrogenase; D000079:Acetaldehyde