On Pages 58-60, Dr. Moalem describes the alcohol reaction in Asians in comparison to that of Europeans. People from an Asian decent, generally have a genetic variation called ALDH2*2. This causes the characteristic trait of flushing when drinking alcohol. Dr. Moalem describes this variation of ALDH2*2 and shares that it is only common in Asians and not common in people with European decent. This idea is related to Big Idea 1 (The process of evolution drives the diversity and unity of life.), in that the variation was caused by variation of water (sanitation of water). It seems that although people with this variation get drunk more easily, they are overall more likely to resist alcoholism.
Explain the process in which the body detoxifies itself from the alcohol and how it extracts calories from it. Then explain how the ALDH2*2 variation was formed, how it functions, and how it alters the alcohol metabolism of the body. Describe the negative effects of this variation, as well as the benefits that come with it. Research how the Disulfiram (Antabuse) drug has a similar effect as ALDH2*2, and how it is used to aid people who are alcoholics.
Crystal Chang (cchang3@students.d125.org)
Crystal Chang (cchang3@students.d125.org)
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ReplyDeleteHuman body detoxifies the alcohol and extracts calories from the alcohol by involving many different enzymes and multiple organs. Alcohol dehydrogenase converts the alcohol into acetaldehyde; acetaldehyde dehydrogenase converts the acetaldehyde into acetate. Lastly, a third enzyme converts acetate into fat, carbon dioxide, and water. The calories are usually stored as fat (Moalem 59). Especially, the liver metabolizes acetaldehyde by converting it to acetic acid, and then to water and carbon dioxide in the Krebs cycle, inside of mitochondria. In the past, Europeans used fermentation by using alcohol to kill microbes in the water, but Asians purified the water by boiling or making tea. Therefore, there was evolutionary pressure to have the ability to drink and detoxify alcohol among Europeans, and there was not evolutionary pressure among Asian. ALDH2*2 causes to produce a less powerful form of acetaldehyde dehydrogenase (Moalem 60). In result, there is less effective converting of acetaldehyde into acetate. The idea of evolutionary pressure is related to Big Idea 1 (The process of evolution drives the diversity and unity of life). In addition, acetaldehyde is thirty times as toxic as alcohol; very small amounts produce severe reactions of body, such as flush on the face, dizziness, and extreme nausea. The negative effects of having a genetic variation of ALDH2*2 are that people with this genetic variation are likely to have a nasty hangover after the consumption of alcohol, and they may have a trouble in their social lives due to the their natural body reaction to the alcohol. The benefits of having ALDH2*2 are to have a high resistance to alcoholism and to maximize metabolism in the body by avoiding alcohol beverages (http://www.articlesbase.com/weight-loss-articles/the-fattening-effects-of-alcohol-179337.html). Disulfiram is an aldehyde dehydrogenase inhibitor that prohibits the activity of aldehyde dehydrogenase. The purpose of disulfiram is to treat alcohol dependence; the patient who takes disulfiram experiences flush or blood that rushes to his or her face, chest, and neck from consumption of alcohol. The fear of these body reactions to alcohol will enable the patient to avoid alcohol drinks. (http://go.galegroup.com/ps/retrieve.do?sgHitCountType=None&sort=RELEVANCE&inPS=true&prodId=GPS&userGroupName=astevenson&tabID=T001&searchId=R1&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&contentSegment=&searchType=BasicSearchForm¤tPosition=1&contentSet=GALE%7CCX4013200157&&docId=GALE|CX4013200157&docType=GALE&role=GVRL)
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Aldehyde dehydrogenase from yeast catalyzes the following reaction: RCHO + NAD/NADP+ + H2O → RCOOH + NADH/NADPH+ + H+. The yeast enzyme requires potassium ions and thiols (glutathione, 2-mercaptoethanol, cysteine) for its activity. It is inhibited by traces of heavy metals, particularly copper. aldehyde dehydrogenase
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