CYP2E1 and clinical features in alcoholics.

It is known that P-4502E1 metabolizes both ethanol and acetaldehyde, and that it can be induced after birth by inducers such as ethanol. Genetic polymorphisms in the 5'-flanking region change its transcriptional regulation. Persons who are either hetereozygous or mutant homozygous for CYP2E1 (C1/C2 or C2/C2) can drink much more alcohol than persons who are normal homozygous for CYP2E1 (C1/C1) among those whose aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 genotype is heterozygous. Subjects were composed of 52 Japanese alcoholics. The alcoholics having no C2 (group 1) and the alcoholics having C2 (group 2) were compared with each other with respect to their clinical characteristics: family history, past history, alcohol-related symptoms, complications, social disabilities, self-consciousness and short alcohol dependence date. In the social disabilities, the genotypes of CYP2E1 (C1/C2 or C2/C2) showed significantly more cases of guilts (p < 0.05). In regard to liver disease or self-consciousness, this was at a trend level (p = 0.08). We have shown that the genotypes of CYP2E1 are associated with clinical features of alcoholics.