Effect of acute ethanol drinking on alcohol metabolism in subjects with different ADH and ALDH genotypes

The effect of different amounts of orally ingested ethanol on plasma alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and erythrocyte aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH), as well as on the blood ethanol and acetaldehyde levels, was examined in healthy nonalcoholic subjects. The genotypes at ADH2 and ALDH2 locus were identified in enzymatically amplified blood DNA by hybridization with allele-specific oligonucleotides. While the Japanese subject was found to be genotypically heterozygous for both ADH2 and ALDH2, the Caucasian subjects were genotypically homozygous normal for these alleles. A faster ethanol elimination associated with a higher blood acetaldehyde level was observed in the Japanese subject as compared to Caucasian subjects. However, no significant change in ADH and ALDH enzyme activities was detected as the result of acute ethanol intake.