Skip to main content
. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2011 Mar 1.
Published in final edited form as: Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2009 Dec 17;34(3):432–442. doi: 10.1111/j.1530-0277.2009.01123.x

Table 3.

Effects of ethanol consumption on serum levels of GABAergic neuroactive steroids in healthy men.

−15 min 60 min 120 min
Pregnenolone 296.9 ± 28.9 262.4 ± 10.5 239.1 ± 14.9
3α,5α-THP 124.8 ± 12.2 144.6 ± 12.6 134.4 ± 10.2
3α,5β-THP 109.2 ± 4.5 105.1 ± 1.7 105.2 ± 2.1
3α,5α-THDOC 63.0 ± 21.6 65.3 ± 19.6 45.1 ± 7.5
3α,5β-THDOC n.d. n.d. n.d.
3α,5α-Androsterone 97.3 ± 12.0 63.4 ± 6.4 101.1 ± 22.9
3α,5β-Androsterone 177.5 ± 88.7 275.8 ± 105.6 245.2 ± 71.9
3α,5α-Androstandiol 34.9 ± 4.3 31.8 ± 2.4 34.6 ± 3.0
3α,5β-Androstandiol 23.4 ± 1.4 27.3 ± 2.6 22.4 ± 1.2

Ethanol (0.8 g/kg, 16% w/v beverage solution) was consumed at time 0 and blood samples were collected 15 minutes before and 60 and 120 minutes from the start of ethanol consumption. Levels are expressed as pg/ml and are average ± SEM of eight subjects. 3α,5β-androsterone was detected only in 6/8 subjects 60 minutes after ethanol consumption; 3α,5β-androstandiol was detected only in 7/8 subjects 120 minutes after ethanol consumption. 3α,5β-THDOC was undetectable (n.d.).