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Description
Acetaldehyde: A toxic byproduct of alcohol metabolism.
Acetate: A compound produced from the metabolism of acetaldehyde.
Adduct: Product of the addition of one compound (e.g., acetaldehyde) to another compound (e.g., DNA).
Adenoma: A usually benign tumor of tissue lining the internal and external organs of the body (i.e., epithelial tissue) in which the tumor cells are arranged in a gland-like structure.
Adenomatous polyps: A tissue mass that bulges outward from the normal surface and which consists of benign tumor tissue; found, for example, in the colon.
Adenosine triphosphate (ATP): A molecule, generated largely in the mitochondria, that provides the energy needed for many key metabolic reactions.
Affinity: Measure of the strength with which an enzyme (e.g., alcohol dehydrogenase [ADH]) interacts with its target molecule (e.g., ethanol); an enzyme variant with a higher affinity can interact with its target at lower concentrations of the target molecule than an enzyme variant with a lower affinity.
Alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH): An enzyme that breaks down alcohol by oxidation, converting it to acetaldehyde. (See cytochrome P450.)
Aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH): An enzyme that converts acetaldehyde to acetate.
Allele: One of two or more variants of a certain gene.
Amine: A type of organic compound that contains nitrogen as a central atom.
Amino acids: The principal building blocks of proteins and enzymes.
Amino group: A group of atoms found in all amines and amino acids.
Antibody: A protein produced by certain immune cells that recognizes and binds to foreign proteins, leading to the destruction of those proteins.
Antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC): A mechanism of cell-mediated immunity whereby certain immune cells actively break up a target cell that has been bound by specific antibodies.
Antioxidant: A substance, such as glutathione, vitamin E, or an enzyme, that inhibits oxidation and that scavenges free radicals and protects the cell against damage caused by these radicals.
Apoptosis: Cell death in which the affected cell participates by activating a cascade of biochemical reactions that lead to death; also known as programmed cell death or cell suicide.
Aromatic amino acids: A class of amino acids, including phenylalanine and tryptophan, in which some of the constituent atoms form a ring.
Carcinogenesis: The process of initiating and promoting cancer.
Carcinoma: A malignant tumor of the epithelial tissue that tends to invade surrounding tissue and metastasize to other regions of the body.
Case-control study: An epidemiologic approach in which previously existing cases of a condition (e.g., a type of cancer)... |
More articles from Alcohol Research & Health
Alcohol metabolism and cancer risk., January 01, 2007
Role of alcohol metabolism in chronic pancreatitis., January 01, 2007
Effects of pregnancy and nutritional status on alcohol metabolism., January 01, 2007
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