알코올 의존 환자에서 혈청 아질산염 농도와 일부 생물학적 지표와의 관련성

The Relationship between Serum Nitrite Concentration and Some Biological Markers of Alcohol Dependence

Objective：Nitric oxide (NO) has been known to be associated with tolerance and preference to alcohol. It has also been known to affect various alcohol drinking behavior, alcohol withdrawal symptoms, and the alcohol-induced brain damage. The purpose of this study was to determine the difference between alcohol dependence group and healthy control group in concentration of the nitrite, a stable metabolite of NO, and it’s relationship to clinical and biochemical markers of alcohol dependence. Methods：Thirty-four subjects diagnosed as alcohol dependence according to DSM-IV diagnostic criteria were evaluated for the clinical characteristics and biochemical markers of alcohol dependence when their CIWA-Ar scores had reached zero after the alcohol withdrawal treatment with benzodiazepine. Thirtyfour healthy controls were also evaluated. Clinical characteristics were evaluated by CAGE and AUDIT questionnaire. Aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) and mean corpuscular volume (MCV) were used as the biochemical markers of alcohol dependence. Serum nitrite concentrations were measured by Griess reaction. Results：1) The concentrations of nitrite in alcoholics were not different from those in the controls. 2) There were no significant associations between the nitrite concentration and the clinical and biological markers of alcohol dependence. 3) There was a negative correlation between the nitrite concentration and the days after last drink. Conclusion：These findings suggest that NO may be neither a causative agent nor trait marker of alcohol dependence. Rather, NO may be a state marker of recent alcohol drinking and alcohol withdrawal.