Alcohol metabolism at high alcohol concentrations.

: The incorporation rate of tritium from (R,S)ethanol-1-3H, (R)ethanol-1-3H and (S)ethanol-1-3H in lactate and beta-hydroxybutyrate is investigated by means of a GLC method. Preliminary results show no decrease in incorporation of 3H from (R)ethanol during the period of labelling (15 min). These results indicate that either a shift in the isotope effect occurs at high concentrations of ethanol, or the results may indicate that ethanol does not exhibit a substrate inhibitory effect on alcohol dehydrogenase in the liver cells. Furthermore, the fraction of acetaldehyde metabolized in the cytosol is determined.