Abstract
A drinking experiment with participants suffering from Gilbert’s syndrome was performed to study the possible influence of this glucuronidation disorder on the formation of ethyl glucuronide (EtG). Gilbert’s syndrome is a rather common and, in most cases, asymptomatic congenital metabolic aberration with a prevalence of about 5 %. It is characterized by a reduction of the enzyme activity of the uridine diphosphate glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) isoform 1A1 up to 80 %. One of the glucuronidation products is EtG, which is formed in the organism following exposure to ethanol. EtG is used as a short-term marker for ethyl alcohol consumption to prove abstinence in various settings. After 2 days of abstinence from ethanol and giving a void urine sample, 30 study participants drank 0.1 L of sparkling wine (9 g ethanol). 3, 6, 12, and 24 h after drinking, urine samples were collected. 3 hours after drinking, an additional blood sample was taken, in which liver enzyme activities, ethanol, hematological parameters, and bilirubin were measured. EtG and ethyl sulfate (EtS), another short-term marker of ethanol consumption, were determined in the urine samples using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS); creatinine was measured photometrically. In all participants, EtG and EtS were detected in concentrations showing a wide range (EtG: 3 h sample 0.5–18.43 mg/L and 6 h sample 0.67–13.8 mg/L; EtS: 3 h sample 0.87–6.87 mg/L and 6 h sample 0.29–4.48 mg/L). No evidence of impaired EtG formation was found. Thus, EtG seems to be a suitable marker for ethanol consumption even in individuals with Gilbert’s syndrome.
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The authors would like to thank the Bund gegen Alkohol und Drogen im Straßenverkehr B.A.D.S. for the financial support of the drinking experiment.
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Dedicated to Prof. Dr. Stefan Pollak on the occasion of his 65th birthday
Laura M. Huppertz and Leonie Gunsilius contributed equally to this manuscript.
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Huppertz, L.M., Gunsilius, L., Lardi, C. et al. Influence of Gilbert’s syndrome on the formation of ethyl glucuronide. Int J Legal Med 129, 1005–1010 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-015-1157-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-015-1157-7