Studies of urine-associated acetaldehyde as a marker for alcohol intake in mice

A study was undertaken in 16 male C57BL mice to evaluate the effect of ethanol intake via the drinking water (10% v/v) on urinary-associated acetaldehyde. Eight received ethanol and 8 served as controls. Urinary-associated acetaldehyde (UAA) was measured using a fluorigenic high performance chromatographic assay. Ethanol consumption did not impair growth over the two weeks of the experiment. Following administration of ethanol, UAA increased and remained significantly elevated over levels seen in controls until ethanol administration ceased (11.3 +/- 3.6 SEM microM for ethanol-consuming mice vs. 0.69 +/- 0.33 microM for controls). Ethanol in the urine was found to interfere with the assay for acetaldehyde. However, following cessation of ethanol, acetaldehyde in urine was found to be significantly elevated in urine at 24 hours, after ethanol levels were no longer detectable. In conclusion, measurement of urinary-associated acetaldehyde discriminates ethanol-consuming from nonconsuming mice during ethanol ingestion as well as 24 hours following cessation of ethanol when ethanol levels are no longer detectable in urine. Thus measurement of urinary acetaldehyde may be a useful marker for monitoring ethanol intake.