Effect of peroral thiamine treatment on thiamine contents and transketolase activity of red blood cells in alcoholic patients.

The thiamine contents, transketolase activity and "thiamine diphosphate effect" (TDP effect) of the transketolase activity were measured in the blood of alcoholic patients during withdrawal, before and after thiamine administration (50 mg) for 10 days. The results were compared with those of healthy volunteers. The alcoholic patients showed significantly lower thiamine contents, lower transketolase activity and higher TDP effect in the blood than the healthy volunteers. These biochemical parameters were not significantly changed after 10 days without any exogenous thiamine supplement except the hospital diet. When thiamine was administered in a dose of 50 mg for 10 days, the TDP effect normalized. The transketolase activity and thiamine contents, however, were only slightly increased, probably due to the fact that the apo-enzyme content and the thiamine-binding capacity were lower in the blood of the alcoholics. Thus the TDP effect seems to reflect the relative biochemical deficiency while transketolase activity and thiamine contents seem to be dependent on the amount of apo-enzyme and on the thiamine-binding capacity as well as the degree of thiamine deficiency.