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Concentration Dependency of Ethanol Elimination Rates in Baboons: Effect of Chronic Alcohol Consumption
Author(s) -
Pikkarainen P. H.,
Lieber C. S.
Publication year - 1980
Publication title -
alcoholism: clinical and experimental research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.267
H-Index - 153
eISSN - 1530-0277
pISSN - 0145-6008
DOI - 10.1111/j.1530-0277.1980.tb04789.x
Subject(s) - ethanol , alcohol , alcohol dehydrogenase , chemistry , ethanol metabolism , medicine , endocrinology , zoology , biochemistry , biology
Ethanol elimination rates were measured in 7 baboons fed alcohol for 2–7 yr (and their controls) by using a constant ethanol infusion to maintain blood ethanol at three different levels; 5, 10, and 50 m M . Ethanol elimination rates were significantly faster at a blood ethanol level of 50 m M than at 10 or 5 m M in both alcohol‐fed and control animals. The difference between 50 m M and 5 m M concentration was 36% in alcohol‐fed and 25% in control animals. In baboons fed ethanol chronically, the ethanol elimination rates were significantly faster than in pair‐fed controls at 50 m M (179 ± 10.0 mg/kg/hr versus 144 ± 9.8) and at 10 m M (148 ± 4.1 versus 114 ± 8.2), but not at 5 m M . Even if one takes into account the extrahepatic losses, these differences cannot be explained solely by the elimination of ethanol through the low K m alcohol dehydrogenase pathway, and these observations indicate that a non‐ADH system significantly contributes to ethanol elimination in vivo, especially in alcohol‐fed baboons.