Ethanol-induced injuries to carrot cells : the role of acetaldehyde.

Carrot (Daucus carota L.) cell cultures show high sensitivity to ethanol since both unorganized cell growth and somatic embryogenesis are strongly inhibited by ethanol at relatively low concentrations (10-20 millimolar). The role of acetaldehyde on ethanol-induced injuries to suspension cultured carrot cells was evaluated. When ethanol oxidation to acetaldehyde is prevented by adding an alcohol-dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.1) inhibitor (4-methylpyrazole) to the culture medium, no ethanol toxicity was observed, even if ethanol was present at relatively high concentrations (40-80 millimolar). Data are also presented on the effects of exogenously added acetaldehyde on both carrot cell growth and somatic embryogenesis. We conclude that the observed toxic effects of ethanol cannot be ascribed to ethanol per se but to acetaldehyde.