The detection of acetaldehyde/liver plasma membrane protein adduct formed in vivo by alcohol feeding

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Abstract
In order to assess whether acetaldehyde adducts with liver plasma membrane proteins are formed in vivo during alcohol ingestion, liver plasma membranes were prepared from control rats and rats fed on 10% ethanol from weaning and the amino acid constituents of liver plasma membrane proteins were assessed by reversed phase liquid chromatography of an acid hydrolysate of the membranes. The retention time of acetaldehyde/lysine adduct after stabilisation through reduction was determined by chromatography of an acid hydrolysate of polylysine pretreated with acetaldehyde. The presence of a peak with identical retention time to the acetaldehyde/lysine adduct was detected in liver plasma membranes isolated from alcohol-fed rats indicating adduct formation in vivo. The adduct was detectable only when the membranes were prepared by a rapid (Percoll) method, suggesting that the adduct may be unstable. The findings are consistent with the hypothesis that the inflammation of acute alcoholic liver disease may be initiated by the product of acetaldehyde/membrane binding in vivo.