Abstract
Alcohol enhances the activity of many but not of all hepatotoxic agents. Not only high toxic doses but also amounts commonly consumed today by many people are active in this respect. An induction of the hepatic microsomal drug-metabolizing system leading to an increased metabolism of the hepatotoxic agents to toxic radicals is the best established cause for ethanol-induced potentiation of liver injury. In the case of CCl 4, hepatic hypoxia resulting from an ethanol-induced hypermetabolism may participate in the enhanced hepatotoxic response. Changes in the overall pharmacokinetics of the hepatotoxins, depletion of hepatic glutathione, and an increase of lipid peroxidation seem not to be implicated in potentiation of liver injury by ethanol. People regularly consuming alcohol may run a higher risk of being injured by hepatotoxic agents than abstainers. Thus, interactions between ethanol and other hepatotoxic agents should be envisaged as a possible additional factor in ethanol-induced human liver damage explaining, at least partially, the great variation in the sensitivity of man to the hepatotoxic effects of alcohol.
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