Interaction of ethanol with haemoglobin: implications for alcohol abuse

Ingestion of large amounts of ethanol results in a variety of toxicological consequences of which reduced oxygen supply is a marked respiratory effect. Experimentation involving the in-vivo administration of ethanol to rats, identifies the formation of ferri-haemoprotein species and hydroxyl radicals in the liver. Our work on the in-vitro effect of ethanol on oxyhaemoglobin shows the formation of ferri-haemoglobin and the alpha-hydroxyethyl radical as an intermediate. The impairment of oxygen transport efficiency of haemoglobin may be a result of its oxidation to the non-functional ferrihaemoglobin form.