Influence of male hormones on rates of ethanol elimination in man.

The effect of a reduction in androgens on ethanol elimination was determined in man. Bilateral therapeutic orchiectomy in nine patients for prostatic carcinoma decreased mean plasma testosterone levels from 489.8 +/- 31.2 (S.E.) ng per dl to 55.3 +/- 3.8 ng per dl and resulted in an increase in the rate of ethanol elimination in seven patients, no change in one, and a decrease in one. The mean rate of ethanol elimination for all nine patients increased from 83.6 +/- 4.0 to 100.4 +/- 4.2 mg per kg body weight per hr (p less than 0.02). The most likely mechanism for an increase in ethanol elimination after orchiectomy is an increase in liver alcohol dehydrogenase content, which remains to be demonstrated in man.