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Leucine and Glucose Turnover in Chronic Alcoholics During Early Abstinence and After an Ethanol Load
Author(s) -
Petermann Margarita,
González Clara,
Hirsch Sandra,
Maza María Pía,
Bunout Daniel
Publication year - 1993
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.1530-0277.1993.tb05244.x
Subject(s) - leucine , ethanol , medicine , endocrinology , abstinence , chemistry , basal (medicine) , alcohol , turnover , metabolism , carbohydrate , protein turnover , biochemistry , insulin , amino acid , protein biosynthesis , management , psychiatry , economics
We studied leucine turnover using a primed infusion of [1‐ 14 C]‐ l ‐leucine and glucose turnover using a primed infusion of [6‐ 3 H]‐ d ‐glucose in five alcoholic patients without liver damage and five age‐matched controls. Infusions were maintained for 6 hr, and at the end of the 3rd hour, a 0.8 g/kg iv ethanol load was administered in 20 min. Leucine flux, nonoxidative disposal and oxidation rates, and glucose rate of appearance were calculated during the 3rd and 6th hours of infusion. Ethanol disappearance rate and the percentage completely metabolized to CO 2 and H 2 O in 3 hr were also calculated. Compared with controls, alcoholics had significantly higher basal leucine flux (55.6 ± 12 vs. 37.3 ± 9.3 μ m /m 2 /min) and nonoxidative disposal (48.7 ± 8.7 vs. 31.1 ± 7.5 μ m /m 2 /min). No differences were observed in basal glucose appearance rates in alcoholics and controls (397.6 ± 115.2 vs. 349.4 ± 120.6 μ m /m 2 /min). Compared with controls, alcoholics had a higher alcohol disappearance rate (2.72 ± 0.59 vs. 1.84 ± 0.43 m m /kg/min) and percentage of ethanol metabolized to CO 2 and H 2 O in 3 hr (40.6 ± 10.2 vs. 22.9 ± 6.9%). After the ethanol load, both leucine turnover and glucose rate of appearance decreased significantly only in alcoholics. There was a positive correlation between the change in leucine flux and ethanol disappearance rate and percentage metabolized to CO 2 and H 2 O in alcoholics.