[Pharmacokinetics of alcohol after 3-hour intravenous infusion with and without cimetidine in 10 healthy non-alcoholic subjects].

Ethanol metabolism was studied in ten male non-alcoholic subjects following the constant intravenous infusion of ethanol (1.2 g/kg) administered during three hours with and without cimetidine. Pharmacokinetic analysis was performed on the pseudolinear portion of the elimination curve. The mean peak ethanol concentrations were not significantly different with and without cimetidine. There was no acceleration of ethanol metabolism at high concentrations: the ethanol elimination rate was similar above and under 17 mM, with and without cimetidine. Cimetidine administration had no effect on pharmacokinetic parameters of ethanol (area under the curve, Km and Vm). The fact that the ethanol elimination rate is similar whatever be its concentration and the absence of modifications of the pharmacokinetic parameters by cimetidine are not in favor of an important role of the microsomal ethanol oxidizing system (MEOS) in the ethanol metabolism of nonalcoholic subjects. The data do not allow to examine the role of MEOS in ethanol metabolism after chronic alcohol consumption.