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Published on: May 25, 2017
Effects of 5-week ethanol feeding on the liver of aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 knockout mice
Akiko Matsumoto1, Toshihiro Kawamoto, Fumihiro Mutoh
1Departments of Social and Environmental Medicine, Saga Medical School, Saga, Japan. matsumoa@cc.saga-u.ac.jp
Objective:
The polymorphism of aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2), denoted ALDH2*2, is very common in East Asian countries, and the mutated ALDH2 protein derived from ALDH2*2 lacks the ability of acetaldehyde metabolization. Our aim was to determine the consequences of the ALDH2 polymorphism on ethanol-administered liver tissue.
Methods:
Aldh2+/+, +/-, and -/- mice were fed with ethanol solution and standard hard feed for 5 weeks.
Results:
The serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level in the Aldh2-/- mice clearly decreased upon ethanol feeding, in contrast to Aldh2+/+ mice, in which the ALT level was unchanged. The levels of malondialdehyde, phospho extracellular signal-regulated kinase 2, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha in the liver tissue all correlated with the ALT level.
Conclusion:
These findings suggest that ethanol intake in the presence of inactive ALDH2 decreases the serum ALT level following a decrease in oxidative stress and tumor necrosis factor-alpha secretion.
