Distribution and utilization of alcohol-derived acetate in the rat

The metabolism of endogenous and alcohol-derived acetate was studied in intact male Wistar rats. Acute alcohol administration increased the concentration of acetate in the hepatic vein from 0.3 to 2.2 mM, in the hepatic portal vein from 0.6 to 1.2 mM, and in arterial blood from 0.2 to 1.0 mM. These effects were almost independent of the alcohol dose. The blood acetate levels remained elevated during the course of alcohol oxidation but rapidly returned to endogenous levels when alcohol oxidation terminated. In hepatic tissue, a slight trend toward higher acetate level with increasing alcohol doses was observed. No significant adaptation to acetate metabolism was observed in rats examined after 7 weeks of forced alcohol consumption. The highest endogenous acetate concentration was observed in heart muscle (0.7 mumol/g), and this concentration was not influenced by alcohol in spite of a fourfold increase in the concentration in arterial blood, demonstrating the high capacity of heart muscle to produce and utilize acetate.