Alcohols are usually used as fuel, astringents, antiseptics anc. disinfectants. Ethyl alcohol(ethanol) alone can be used as wine.
The pharmacological action of ethanol is depression of the reticular activating system of the brain and the associated center. If a man takes ethanol, he feels flushing of faces and some excitement by the depression of the inhibitory control mechanism of brain. With increases of doses of ethanol, all functions of the central nervous system are gradually paralyzed. It is well known that ethanol is metabolized by alcohol dehydrogenase in the liver to acetaldehyde, which is also metabolized to acetic acid by xanthine oxidase. The toxic effects of ethanol in large doses depend on the increase of acetaldehyde concentration in the blood. .
Disulfiram, an inhibitor of xanthine oxidase, can exaggerate the increase of the blood acetaldehyde concentration after alcohol drinking.
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