Blood acetaldehyde concentration gradient between hepatic and antecubital venous blood in ethanol‐intoxicated alcoholics and controls*

Abstract

After ethanol (0.8 g kg-1 body wt orally) significant concentrations of acetaldehyde (2-20 .mu.mol l-1) were found in hepatic venous blood of moderately intoxicated nonalcoholic male Caucasians in spite of the absence of detectable levels (< 2 .mu.mol l-1) in simultaneously taken antecubital blood. In 13 chronic alcoholics the elevation of blood acetaldehyde was more constant in the hepatic than in the peripheral vein. Fructose infusion caused a marked elevation of acetaldehyde in the hepatic and peripheral vein of 4 controls, but not of 4 alcoholics, who eliminated ethanol .apprx. 50% faster than controls. The rate of disappearance of acetaldehyde from sampled and in vitro incubated hepatic venous blood was similar to that observed after addition of acetaldehyde in vitro to ethanol-free control blood (2 nmol ml-1 min-1 at 20 .mu.mol l-1 acetaldehyde; Km .apprx. 30 .mu.mol l-1). Uptake of acetaldehyde in blood was calculated to explain maximally 30-40% of the concentration gradient between central and peripheral blood.