title: Non-oxidative ethanol metabolites as a measure of alcohol intake.
abstract: Recent alcohol intake can be monitored by the measurement of indirect biomarkers. Elevated levels of liver enzymes (i.e. gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), alanine amino transferase (ALT) and aspartate amino transferase (AST)) in blood are commonly used in clinical practice as an indicator of alcohol-induced liver damage. With the exception of carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT), the specificity of indirect markers is only moderate because many cases of elevated levels are unrelated to alcohol consumption. Because of their intermediate half-life and tendency to accumulate in hair, non-oxidative ethanol metabolites can be used as markers with an intermediate timeframe between ethanol measurements and GGT and CDT with regard to recent alcohol consumption occurring between hours to 1 week. Additionally, these biomarkers offer a high ethanol-specificity in combination with approximately a two-fold higher sensitivity in comparison with indirect alcohol markers. In case of forensic use of direct ethanol metabolites, caution has to be taken in interpretation and pre-analytical pitfalls should be considered.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Chemistry, Ghent University Hospital, De Pintelaan 185, B 9000 Gent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Thomas M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Maenhout
authors.forename: Marc L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: De Buyzere
authors.forename: Joris R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Delanghe
mesh_terms: D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000378:metabolism; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000097:blood* / Q000652:urine; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000378:metabolism; D015415:Biomarkers; D000431:Ethanol / Q000097:blood* / Q000652:urine; D005965:Glucuronates / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D020404:Glycerophospholipids / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D006197:Hair / Q000737:chemistry*; D006207:Half-Life; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000201:enzymology; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013463:Sulfuric Acid Esters / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D014168:Transferrin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000378:metabolism; D005723:gamma-Glutamyltransferase / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D005965:Glucuronates; D020404:Glycerophospholipids; D013463:Sulfuric Acid Esters; D014168:Transferrin; C056759:carbohydrate-deficient transferrin; C051521:phosphatidylethanol; C093924:ethyl glucuronide; D000431:Ethanol; D005723:gamma-Glutamyltransferase; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D000410:Alanine Transaminase; C011612:diethyl sulfate