Synthesis of phosphatidylethanol--a potential marker for adult males at risk for alcoholism.

Phosphatidylethanol, whose synthesis is catalyzed by a phospholipase D in a transphosphatidylation reaction, is a unique metabolite of ethanol. Phorbol 12-tetradecanoate 13-acetate, a tumor-promoting phorbol ester and stimulator of protein kinase C, activates this enzyme in peripheral blood lymphocytes. This system has been developed into an assay for measuring the potential of this pathway in human subjects. A pilot study of phosphatidylethanol synthesis in lymphocytes of adult males who have both an alcohol dependency and a family history of alcoholism has revealed that the average potential for phosphatidylethanol synthesis in this population is significantly elevated over that of control subjects.