Influence of the metabolism of ethanol on the lactate/pyruvate ratio of rat-liver slices.

1. The influence of ethanol on the redox level of the redox pair lactate/pyruvate has been studied in experiments with rat-liver slices. 2. Ethanol had no effect on oxygen consumption but strongly depressed carbon dioxide formation. On the assumption that ethanol is oxidized to acetate in the liver slices, it could be calculated that most of the oxygen that disappeared was consumed in this reaction. 3. Addition of ethanol to the incubation medium increased the lactate/pyruvate ratio and when all the ethanol had been oxidized the redox value decreased to the normal again. Ethanol depressed the pyruvate concentration, whereas the lactate concentration was not much influenced. 4. Acetaldehyde in the concentrations present during ethanol oxidation did not influence the lactate/pyruvate ratio. Higher concentrations, however, increased the redox state. 5. Acetate in the concentrations present during ethanol oxidation in the experiments, and also in higher concentrations, did not influence the lactate/pyruvate ratio. 6. The mechanism by which ethanol influences the lactate/pyruvate ratio is discussed.