Editing Acetaldehyde (section)

==Biochemistry==
In the [[liver]], the [[enzyme]], [[alcohol dehydrogenase]] oxidizes [[ethanol]] into acetaldehyde, which is then further oxidized into harmless [[acetic acid]] by [[acetaldehyde dehydrogenase]]. These two oxidation reactions are coupled with the reduction of {{chem2|NAD+}} to [[NADH]].<ref name="Hipolito, L. 2007">{{cite journal | author1 = Hipolito, L. | author2 = Sanchez, M. J. | author3 = Polache, A. | author4 = Granero, L. | title = Brain metabolism of ethanol and alcoholism: An update | journal = Curr. Drug Metab. | year = 2007 | volume = 8 | pages = 716–727 | doi = 10.2174/138920007782109797 | pmid = 17979660 | issue = 7}}</ref> In the brain, the enzyme [[catalase]] is primarily responsible for oxidizing ethanol to acetaldehyde, and [[alcohol dehydrogenase]] plays a minor role.<ref name="Hipolito, L. 2007"/> The last steps of alcoholic [[fermentation (food)|fermentation]] in bacteria, plants, and [[yeast]] involve the conversion of [[pyruvate]] into acetaldehyde and [[carbon dioxide]] by the enzyme [[pyruvate decarboxylase]], followed by the conversion of acetaldehyde into ethanol. The latter reaction is again catalyzed by an alcohol dehydrogenase, now operating in the opposite direction.

Many [[East Asian people]] have an [[ALDH2]] mutation which makes them significantly less efficient at oxidizing acetaldehyde. On consuming alcohol, their bodies tend to accumulate excessive amounts of acetaldehyde, causing the so-called [[alcohol flush reaction]].<ref name=Kim2014>{{cite journal | vauthors = Lee H, Kim SS, You KS, Park W, Yang JH, Kim M, Hayman LL | title = Asian flushing: genetic and sociocultural factors of alcoholism among East asians | journal = Gastroenterology Nursing | volume = 37 | issue = 5 | pages = 327–36 | year = 2014 | pmid = 25271825 | doi = 10.1097/SGA.0000000000000062 | s2cid = 206059192 }}</ref> They develop a characteristic flush on the face and body, along with "nausea, headache and general physical discomfort".<ref>{{cite web | title=Esophageal Cancer and the 'Asian Glow'|publisher=Dartmouth Undergraduate Journal of Science| date=21 November 2009 | url=https://sites.dartmouth.edu/dujs/2009/11/21/esophageal-cancer-and-the-asian-glow/|archive-date=2016-01-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160112231737/http://dujs.dartmouth.edu/fall-2009/esophageal-cancer-and-the-%e2%80%98asian-glow%e2%80%99 |url-status=live}}</ref> Ingestion of the drug [[disulfiram]], which inhibits ALDH2, leads to a similar reaction {{crossreference|(see: {{slink||Aggravating factors}} below)}}.<ref name=disul-new/>