[Biomarkers of alcohol abuse. Part II. New biomarkers and their interpretation]

An increasing number of new biomarkers of alcohol abuse appear in the literature. The most commonly used biomarkers (5-hydroxytryptophol, fatty acid ethyl esters, ethyl glucuronide, phosphatidyl ethanol, ethyl sulphate, mitochondrial aspartate aminotransferase, carbohydrate deficient transferrin, acetaldehyde adducts, beta-hexosaminidase, and sialic acid) were described. Then other known and less known biomarkers associated with alcohol abuse were described in brief (e.g. acetaldehyde, acetate, methanol, alpha-amino-n-butyric acid, dolichol, proteomics). Their sensitivity and specificity is generally higher than that of traditional biomarkers. The time of detection in biological fluids occur from one day to few months after alcohol consumption. Hence, their usefulness in clinical practice as well as in experimental studies is increasing.