Effect of Ethanol on Ethylene Glycol Oxidation by Mammalian Liver Enzymes

Summary. Ethanol inhibits the oxidation of ethylene glycol by horse liver alcohol dehydrogenase, beef liver catalase, and crude rat liver homogenates. The inhibition of alcohol dehydrogenase is of the competitive type, with a K(r) of 1.9 mM at pH 8.0, at which the K(m) for ethylene glycol is 38 mM. Theoretically, the generation of H(2)0(2), a by-product of the oxidation of ethanol by liver homogenates, could increase the oxidation of ethylene glycol via catalase, but this tendency is outweighed by the inhibitory effect of ethanol on this reaction. The results provide a theoretical basis for the use of ethanol in ethylene glycol intoxication in humans.