Neuroglial and neuroblastoma cell lines are capable of metabolizing ethanol via an alcohol-dehydrogenase-independent pathway.

Two neuroglial cell lines (U-251 MG and C6) had a substantial capacity to convert ethanol to acetate in vitro largely by an alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH)-independent mechanism and three neuroblastoma cell lines (IMR-32, NB41A3, and Neuro-2a) had a lesser but significant ethanol-metabolizing capacity which was also either partly or largely ADH-independent. The ADH-independent pathway of ethanol metabolism by neural cells appeared to be dependent on one or more isoenzymes of cytochrome P-450. The data emphasize the possibility that the neurotoxicity of ethanol may be related to a relatively high ethanol-metabolizing capability of neural tissue and particularly of neuroglial cells.