The Effect of Inflammatory Cytokines in Alcoholic Liver Disease

Figure 3

The pathway of ethanol metabolism. Ethanol is metabolized into acetaldehyde by alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and the microsomal enzyme cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1). The ADH enzyme reaction is the main ethanol metabolic pathway involving an intermediate carrier of electrons, namely, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD⁺). Acetaldehyde is rapidly metabolized by aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) in the mitochondria to acetate and NADH. And acetate is eventually metabolized in the muscle to carbon dioxide and water.