Final answer:
The liver processes ethanol primarily through the Alcohol Dehydrogenase System; however, in chronic heavy drinkers, the Microsomal Ethanol Oxidizing System (MEOS) is also employed to metabolize excess alcohol. Chronic alcohol consumption can lead to liver disease, impacting liver and kidney health.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Microsomal Ethanol Oxidizing System (MEOS) and the Alcohol Dehydrogenase System are both hepatic metabolic pathways involved in the breakdown of ethanol in the liver. The Alcohol Dehydrogenase System is primarily responsible for the metabolism of ethanol, converting it to acetaldehyde using the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase; acetaldehyde is then converted to acetate by acetaldehyde dehydrogenase. The MEOS pathway comes into play, particularly in chronic heavy drinkers, where it helps metabolize the excess ethanol. The MEOS is induced by persistent elevated levels of alcohol, increasing the capacity to clear ethanol more rapidly from the body.Moreover, acetaldehyde production, while necessary for metabolism, poses a danger as it is highly toxic. It is immediately converted to the non-toxic molecule acetate. Both the MEOS system and the Alcohol Dehydrogenase System generate NADH and H+ ions as byproducts. In addition, ethanol can influence the metabolism of other substances like methanol and ethylene glycol due to its higher affinity for alcohol dehydrogenase.
Chronic alcohol consumption has severe implications on liver health. Specifically, it can lead to liver disease, impairing the liver's ability to filter toxins like ammonia, which is ordinarily converted to urea and excreted by the kidneys, potentially resulting in kidney dysfunction. This connects alcohol intake with both liver and kidney health concerns.The liver employs the Microsomal Ethanol Oxidizing System (MEOS) in addition to the Alcohol Dehydrogenase system when chronically elevated alcohol levels are present in the liver. The MEOS system metabolizes most of the excess ethanol ingested during heavy drinking. Similar to the Alcohol Dehydrogenase system, the MEOS system converts acetaldehyde into acetate, a non-toxic molecule, with the help of acetaldehyde dehydrogenase.