Lipids and Oxidative Stress Associated with Ethanol-Induced Neurological Damage

Figure 4

Oxidative stress and the role of lipids related to ethanol metabolism in the brain. Ethanol intake undergoes first pass metabolism in the stomach, intestine, and liver, although excess ethanol reaches the brain. Ethanol metabolism increases oxidative stress and lipid oxidation occurs, affecting mitochondrial membrane phospholipids and provoking cell death, thereby provoking damage in the brain. However ethanol-induced damage can be avoided by the activation of compensatory mechanisms involving lipids: E (ethanolamine), PE (phosphatidylethanolamine), acyl-E (acyl-ethanolamine), and NAPE (N-acyl-phosphatidylethanolamine).