Development of dosing guidelines for reaching selected target breath alcohol concentrations

Area of Science:

• Pharmacology
• Toxicology
• Human Physiology

Background:

• Understanding ethanol pharmacokinetics is crucial for public health and safety.
• Previous research indicates potential gender differences in alcohol metabolism.
• Standardized dosing protocols aim to achieve predictable alcohol concentrations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate gender-specific ethanol dosing protocols targeting peak breath alcohol concentrations (BrACs) of 0.07 or 0.10 g/2101.
• To assess inter- and intrasubject variability in BrAC.
• To explore methods for reducing BrAC variability.

Main Methods:

• Sixteen women and sixteen men (ages 21-30) participated.
• Subjects consumed low (women 0.49 g/kg, men 0.53 g/kg) and high (women 0.81 g/kg, men 0.89 g/kg) ethanol doses after a 4-hour fast.
• All participants were regular drinkers.

Main Results:

• Mean peak BrACs achieved were 0.069+/-0.011 g/2101 (low dose) and 0.105+/-0.014 g/2101 (high dose).
• No statistically significant gender differences were observed in mean peak BrAC, time to peak BrAC, or area under the curve.
• BrAC varied up to twofold between subjects, with limited reproducibility in women.

Conclusions:

• The administered ethanol doses produced equivalent mean exposures for men and women.
• Mean peak BrACs closely approximated target levels.
• Substantial inter- and intrasubject variability in ethanol pharmacokinetics was evident.