A man has just received his fourth DUI citation. The judge orders an alcohol dependency program complete with a medication that makes him have nausea and vomiting if he drinks alcohol while taking the medication. The drug-induced illness is caused by the buildup of which one of the following?
The court-ordered medication is disulfiram. Disulfiram inhibits ALDH, which greatly reduces the amount of acetaldehyde that is converted to acetate. This causes an accumulation of acetaldehyde, which is the substance responsible for the symptoms of a "hangover," including nausea and vomiting. Alcohol dehydrogenase reduces ethanol to acetaldehyde. Acetyl-CoA synthetase converts acetate to acetyl-CoA.
Ethanol
Acetaldehyde
Acetate
Acetyl-CoA
Lipids