Increased excretion of harman by alcoholics depends on events of their life history and the state of the liver

Abstract

Based on the hypothesis of a relationship between the concentration of trace amines like tetrahydroisoquinolines (TIQ's) and beta-carbolines (BC's) in the brain and an increased voluntary ingestion of ethanol, the concentrations of ethanol, acetaldehyde and harman (a beta-carboline) were examined in a group of 20 alcoholics. The patients excreted a higher amount of harman into the urine than non-alcoholics on the day of admission (harman-1) as well as at the end of the detoxication period, 14 days later (harman-14). Certain factors were related to the increased excretion of harman by alcoholics: The younger the patient when he/she consumed ethanol for the first time, the higher the concentration of acetaldehyde in the blood and the amount of harman (harman-14) excreted in the urine. Furthermore, the younger the patient when he/she was intoxicated with ethanol for the first time the higher the amount of harman (harman-14) in the urine. Patients with first grade relatives who were alcoholics excreted more harman (harman-14) than those without such relatives. The following variables were not related to harman-14: The average amount of ethanol consumed daily during the 6 months prior to admission, the presence of signs of intoxication and symptoms of withdrawal at admission to hospital, and the consumption of other psychotropic substances. A negative correlation was found between the state of the liver, as assessed by liver histology and gamma-glutamate transferase (gamma-GT) levels, and the concentration of harman in the urine. Thus, some events in the patient's history as well as the state of the liver are important for the increased excretion of harman into urine of alcoholics.