Blood acetaldehyde and the ethanol-induced increase in splanchnic circulation

Acute oral administration of ethanol significantly increases (50–60%) portal blood flow to the liver. As earlier studies have indicated that this effect is maximal at concentrations of ethanol that saturate the alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) system and is blocked by the ADH inhibitor 4-methylpyrazol, we investigated the possible role of acetaldehyde, a product in the ADH reaction, as a mediator of this effect. In the first series of experiments it was shown that, contrary to expectations, cyanamide administration prior to alcohol suppressed fully the effect of ethanol on portal blood flow without altering it in the absence of ethanol [ethanol = 69.5 ± 5.6; ethanol + cyanamide 42.9 ± 2.4; control = 43.0 ± 3.0; cyanamide = 55.1 ± 3.7 ml·min −1·(kg body wt) −1]. Arterial blood concentrations of acetaldehyde were elevated from 3.6 ± 0.3 μM in the presence of ethanol to 293 ± 48 μM in the presence of ethanol + cyanamide. Infusion of acetaldehyde either into the left ventricle, resulting in aterial blood acetaldehyde levels of 227 ± 77 μM, or into the portal circulation, resulting in arterial blood levels of 198 ± 40 μM, did not modify portal blood flow or splanchnic hemodynamics, nor the effect of ethanol per se. The combination of cyanamide + ethanol significantly reduced total peripheral resistance (from 28 ± 3 to 19 ± 2 dyne·cm·sec −5), while neither ethanol or cyanamide per se, nor acetaldehyde affected total peripheral resistance. Data suggest that acetaldehyde is not involved in the ethanol-mediated increase in portal vein flow. Further studies indicate that the effects of cyanamide in suppressing the ethanol-induced increase in portal blood flow and in increasing total peripheral resistance appear to be related to an ethanol-cyanamide interaction which is independent of the acetaldehyde levels in the circulation.