Importancia del polimorfismo en el metabolismo del etanol / Importance of polimorphism in ethanol metabolism

En este trabajo se presenta la influencia de la variabilidad genética sobre el metabolismo el etanol, hecho que puede generalizarse a prácticamente todos los procesos porque, en mayor a menor proporción, existen variaciones genéticas que influyen de manera importante en la respuesta individual a un estímulo dado; sólo que en la respuesta metabólica a la ingestión aguda o crónica de etanol esto es particularmente claro, porque las principales enzimas que participan en su degradación presentan formas polimórficas con actividades diferentes. Factores como la edad, sexo, raza, etc., contribuyen en la obsorción, la distribución y el metabolismo del etanol. la deshidrogenasa alcohólica y el sistema microsomal oxidante del etanol son los principales sistemas de oxidación del etanol a acetaldehído. formas múltiples de la deshidrogenasa alcohólica han sido caracterizadas y permiten explicar la base molecular del polimorfismo enzimático. La siguiente oxidación del acetaldehído a acetato está catalizada por la deshidrogenasa aldehídica, cuyo polimorfismo influye en el control del alcoholismo, saobre todo en poblaciones de origen monogoloide (chinos, japoneses). Resta determinar el papel de un perfil específico de deshidrogenasa aldehídica en el desarrollo de una hepatopatía

Importance of age upon the increase in HDL2-cholesterol in the alcoholic.

An inverse relationship has been found between high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and the incidence of coronary disease. A controversy exists in the international literature as to which sub-fraction, HDL2-C or DHL-C, rises after ethanol ingestion. This paper studies a comparison of the levels of circulating cholesterol, HDL-C, HDL2-C and HDL3-C in two groups: a control group of 44 healthy subjects who had no ethanol in over a year, and a second one made up off 40 chronic alcoholics, who consumed between 80 and 160 gr. of ethanol per day. The alcoholic population showed lower levels of cholesterol and higher levels of HDL-C, HDL2-C and HDL3-C. When compared with the control group, the increase was in alcoholics 58% for HDL2-C and 29% for HDL3-C. An analysis of the different age groups shows an increase of 110% in HDL2-C, in alcoholics between ages 31 and 40, as compared with their control group. An increase of 81% occurred between ages 51 and 60, but rarely rose 20% between ages 21 and 30, as well as between 51 and 60. The maximum rise of HDL3-C in drinkers, related to their control group, was 38% during the fourth decade of life. The conclusion is that the HDL2-C subfraction rises in chronic alcoholics, and the changes in other HDL-C subfractions are more useful when they are placed at the different individual's decades of age, than when taken from complete population samples.