Selectively reduced hepatic acetaldehyde dehydrogenase in alcoholics.

Acetaldehyde dehydrogenase activity in liver biopsy specimens was considerably lower in 12 non-cirrhotic alcoholics than in 11 control subjects. It is suggested that reduced enzyme activity may cause the impaired metabolism of acetaldehyde reported in alcoholics and may play a part in the pathophysiology of alcoholism. Subcellular fractionation studies showed that acetaldehyde dehydrogenase was localised in the mitochondrial and cytosolic fractions of the liver cell, but in alcoholics the cytosolic component was selectively depleted. This deficiency may be a primary defect in alcoholics, reflecting the genetic aspect of alcoholism.