Utilization of Ethanol by Way of the Citric Acid Cycle in the Rat

Abstract

An in vitro comparative study was made of the utilization of acetate-1-C¹⁴ and ethanol-1-C¹⁴ by way of the citric acid cycle in liver homogenates and isolated liver cells from ethanol-treated and untreated rats. The results demonstrated that acetate is utilized more readily by the livers of the normal rats than by those of ethanol-treated animals. In contrast, ethanol is better utilized by the livers of the treated rats. Possible relationships of these differences to the activities of the enzyme systems involved in ethanol oxidation were discussed.