Fig. 2
From: Pathogenic mechanisms and regulatory factors involved in alcoholic liver disease
Ethanol metabolism pathways in the liver. In hepatocytes, three main oxidative pathways metabolize ethanol. Ethanol is metabolized to acetaldehyde by ADHs, CYP2E1, and catalase. Acetaldehyde is further metabolized into acetic acid by ALDHs. Acetic acid is then converted into acetyl-CoA by acetyl-CoA synthase, after which it enters the tricarboxylic acid cycle. Moreover, ethanol can be alternatively metabolized into the nonoxidative metabolites EtS, EtG, Peth, and FAEEs via the action of SULT, UGT, FAEES, AEAT, and PLD. EtS and EtG are water-soluble metabolites that are mainly excreted in the urine. ADH Alcohol dehydrogenases; EtS Ethyl sulfate; EtG Ethyl glucuronide; PEth Phosphatidylethanolfaees, fatty acid ethyl esters; SULT Sulfotransferase; UGT Glucuronosyltransferase; FAEES FAEE synthase; AEAT Acyl-CoA: ethanol O-acyltransferase; PLD Phospholipase ; DCAT Catalase; ALDH Aldehyde dehydrogenase; OAA Oxaloacetate