Why is alcohol toxic?

[hellocubed]

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I'm wondering because Alcohol is not acidic at all...

 

[gettheleadout]

Why would acidity be necessary for toxicity?

 

[hellocubed]

haha, I was taught as a 6-year-old that alcohol was an effective anti-bacterial because it was really acidic.

I'm thinking that it disrupts hydrogen bonding on the cell membranes?

 

[MedPR]

Yea, it can disrupt hydrogen bonding. There are also a ton of physiological effects, but those are more complicated.

 

[kasho11]

When alcohol gets into your body, your body has to deal with it. It does this by breaking it down to acetaldehyde which is actually more toxic than ethanol. This eventually gets converted to acetate. (which I'm assuming can get turned into acetyl-coa and used for energy?) This toxin in high amounts in your liver combined with the inhibition of ADH that alcohol causes is the current idea behind the cause of hangovers. Inhibition of ADH leads to frequent excretion of urine that leads to excess loss of salts and ions such as sodium and potassium. Low levels of these ions can cause headache (which is also caused by dehydration), fatigue, and nausea. Alcohol also contributes to the breakdown of the liver's store of glycogen which can be a potential cause of the weakness or fatigue following a night of drinking.

 

[gravitywave]

When alcohol gets into your body, your body has to deal with it. It does this by breaking it down to acetaldehyde which is actually more toxic than ethanol. This eventually gets converted to acetate. (which I'm assuming can get turned into acetyl-coa and used for energy?) This toxin in high amounts in your liver combined with the inhibition of ADH that alcohol causes is the current idea behind the cause of hangovers. Inhibition of ADH leads to frequent excretion of urine that leads to excess loss of salts and ions such as sodium and potassium. Low levels of these ions can cause headache (which is also caused by dehydration), fatigue, and nausea. Alcohol also contributes to the breakdown of the liver's store of glycogen which can be a potential cause of the weakness or fatigue following a night of drinking.

acetate isn't necessarily a toxin, but you're right that the main toxic metabolite in the short term is acetaldehyde. in the long term (think hepatitis), it's the oxygen free radicals generated by a CYP450 overflow pathway and an excessively high redox potential from too much acetyl-CoA that causes the damage. but all this is beyond the scope of the MCAT.

alcohol in the lab is toxic because it denatures cell membranes and alters transmembrane protein function.