FATTY-ACID ETHYL-ESTERS ARE PRESENT IN HUMAN SERUM AFTER ETHANOL INGESTION

The aim of the study was to determine whether fatty acid ethyl esters, nonoxidative products of ethanol metabolism selectively present in or gans damaged by ethanol abuse, are detectable in the serum after ethan ol ingestion. Serum samples of hospital emergency room patients with p ositive (n = 32) and negative (n = 5) blood ethanol levels were assaye d for fatty acid ethyl esters. In a separate study, five healthy subje cts received an ethanol dose based on body weight mixed with fruit jui ce in a 1:2 ratio and administered by measured ingestion. Fatty acid e thyl esters were found in the serum of hospital emergency room patient s with positive blood ethanol levels. The concentration of fatty acid ethyl esters in these patients correlated with the concentration of bl ood ethanol (r = 0.57; 95% confidence interval 0.28 to 0.77; P = 0.000 2). In the controlled ethanol ingestion study with five healthy subjec ts, it was also determined that the serum fatty acid ethyl ester conce ntration began to decrease within 2 h of the time ethanol ingestion ha d been stopped. The fatty acid ethyl esters in the serum were bound to lipoprotein and albumin, and there was a higher percentage of saturat ed fatty acids in the FAEE pool than in the serum free fatty acid and triglyceride pools. These studies indicate that fatty acid ethyl ester s, which have been implicated as mediators of ethanol-induced organ to xicity, are present in serum after ethanol ingestion.