Role of acetaldehyde and xanthine oxidase in ethanol-induced oxidative stress.

Single doses of ethanol (5 g/kg, intragastric) produce oxidative stress in the liver as well as in the heart. The metabolism of acetaldehyde through xanthine oxidase appears to play an important role in the production of oxidative stress in the heart, but it has only a contributory role in the liver. It is suggested that, as oxidative stress through lipid peroxidation may produce organ pathology, the metabolic pathway of acetaldehyde through xanthine oxidase may be one of the mechanisms which mediate cardiac pathology in alcoholism.