Ethanol Metabolism of the Isolated Perfused Rat Liver. 1. Effect of Ethanol Oxidation on Substrate Levels. 2. Effects of Fructose and Pyrazole on Ethanol Oxidation

Abstract

Experiments on ethanol oxidation in humans have demonstrated (Figure 1) that oral ethanol loads of 0.7 g/kg body weight cause an ethanol concentration in the serum of 0.1 g/100 ml (1). This ethanol level decreases linearly with time. Curve 1 demonstrates the degradation of ethanol concentration in a normal subject with a rate of 90 mg kg^-1h^-1. Curve 2 shows the conversion of serum ethanol in a human with atypical alcohol dehydrogenase (18). Although carriers of atypical ADH have a specific ADH activity which is about five times higher than normal persons, ethanol is metabolized at a normal rate of 141 mg kg^-1h^-1. Children with glycogenosis type I (without liver glucose-6-phosphatase activity) oxidize ethanol about four times faster than do normal children (20), i.e., at a rate of 460 mg kg^-1h^-1. This is demonstrated in curve 3 (Figure 1).

Supported by a grant of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft.