Ethanol consumption, amino acid and glutathione blood levels in patients with and without chronic liver disease.
BACKGROUND
Ethanol abuse and liver cirrhosis cause a reduction of glutathione blood levels; liver cirrhosis induces an alteration of the plasma amino acid pattern. We evaluated whether or not ethanol abuse affects amino acid levels, particularly those that are involved in metabolizing glutathione in the plasma and erythrocytes of chronic alcohol abusers with or without liver cirrhosis.


METHODS
We studied 10 chronic alcohol abusers without liver cirrhosis, 10 with alcoholic cirrhosis, 10 affected by hepatitis C virus-related cirrhosis, and 10 healthy subjects. Glutathione, y-glutamyl-cysteine, and cysteine were determined by fluorescent HPLC, glutamic acid, glycine, and other free amino acids by cation exchange chromatography both in the plasma and erythrocytes of all studied subjects.


CONCLUSIONS
In both alcoholics and cirrhotics, we found a significant increase of plasma-aromatic amino acid and methionine levels, whereas glutathione was significantly reduced. The erythrocytes of these patients showed a significant increase of cysteine, glutamic acid, and glycine; gamma-glutamylcysteine was normal; and glutathione and other free amino acids were significantly decreased. Data suggest that, independent of liver cirrhosis, ethanol abuse affects the metabolism of amino acids and glutathione in both the plasma and the erythrocytes.
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Centro Interuniversitario di Richerche su Alimenti, Nutrizione e Apparato Digerente (CIRANAD), Naples, Italy.
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D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000097:blood*; D000596:Amino Acids / Q000097:blood* / Q000187:drug effects; D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants / Q000494:pharmacology; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D005978:Glutathione / Q000097:blood* / Q000187:drug effects; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008104:Liver Cirrhosis, Alcoholic / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
D000596:Amino Acids; D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants; D000431:Ethanol; D005978:Glutathione