INHIBITION OF METHANOL OXIDATION BY ETHANOL IN THE RAT

Abstract

Ethanol strongly depresses the combustion of methanol in the intact rat, with a simultaneous increase in the elimination through the lungs, of unchanged methanol. Ethanol also inhibits methanol oxidation in isolated liver tissues. The reaction was demonstrated by assaying radioactive CO2 after admn. of C14 labeled methanol. It is probably that due to the similarity in structure between the alcohols a competition results for tissue oxidation sites.