title: Ethanol consumption produces a small increase in circulating miR-122 in healthy individuals.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  MicroRNA 122 (miR-122) is a new circulating biomarker for liver injury, which increases earlier than conventional markers in patients with acetaminophen hepatotoxicity. However, as co-ingestion of ethanol is common with drug overdose, a confounding effect of acute ethanol consumption on serum miR-122 must be examined.
  
  
  METHODS
  Blood was collected from healthy volunteers before and after recreational consumption of ethanol. Routine biochemistry and haematology measurements were performed, and serum miR-122 was measured by qPCR. The primary outcome was the difference in serum miR-122 with ethanol consumption.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We recruited 18 participants (72% male). Their mean serum ethanol concentration was 113 mg/dl (95% confidence interval [CI] 91-135 mg/dl) after consuming ethanol. Serum miR-122 increased from a mean of 71.3 million (95% CI 29.3-113.2 million) to 139.1 million (95% CI 62.6-215.7 million) copies/ml (2.2-fold increase). There was no significant difference in serum alanine aminotransferase activity before and after ethanol consumption.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  miR-122 increased with moderate ethanol consumption, but the fold change was modest. As increases with acetaminophen toxicity are 100- to 10 000-fold, moderate ethanol intoxication is unlikely to confound the use of this biomarker of hepatotoxicity.
authors.affiliation: a Ashworth Laboratories , University of Edinburgh , Edinburgh , UK ;
authors.forename: Jame C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: McCrae
authors.affiliation: b Edinburgh Medical School , University of Edinburgh , Edinburgh , UK ;
authors.forename: Noel
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sharkey
authors.affiliation: c Department of Pharmacology , Toxicology & Therapeutics, BHF Centre for Cardiovascular Science, The Queen's Medical Research Institute, University of Edinburgh , Edinburgh , UK.
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Webb
authors.affiliation: c Department of Pharmacology , Toxicology & Therapeutics, BHF Centre for Cardiovascular Science, The Queen's Medical Research Institute, University of Edinburgh , Edinburgh , UK.
authors.forename: A D Bastiaan
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Vliegenthart
authors.affiliation: c Department of Pharmacology , Toxicology & Therapeutics, BHF Centre for Cardiovascular Science, The Queen's Medical Research Institute, University of Edinburgh , Edinburgh , UK.
authors.forename: James W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Dear
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics*; D000067401:Blood Alcohol Content; D000431:Ethanol / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D064368:Healthy Volunteers; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D015854:Up-Regulation; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000067401:Blood Alcohol Content; C531907:MIRN122 microRNA, human; D035683:MicroRNAs; D000431:Ethanol
keywords: Biomarkers; ethanol; microRNA; toxicity