Mutagenic, cancerogenic and teratogenic effects of alcohol

Abstract

Alcohol is mutagenic, cancerogenic and teratogenic in man. Ethanol is mutagenic via its first metabolite, acetaldehyde. This is substantiated by the findings that acetaldehyde induces chromosomal aberrations, sister-chromatid exchanges and cross-links between DNA strands. Methanol, a contaminant of many alcoholic beverages, is also mutagenic via its metabolite, formaldehyde. In addition, different indirect pathways may lead to mutations by alcohol. The cancerogenic activity of alcohol remains unverified by modern standard carcinogenicity tests. Ethanol and other alcohols, as well as aldehydes, inhibit RNA synthesis in cells and in cell-free transcriptional systems. A reduction of cellular RNA synthesis may play an important role in the mutagenic, carcinogenic and teratogenic activity of alcohol.