Table 1.
Organ-specific rates of alcohol metabolism
| ADH Activity, mU/g of tissue | |
|---|---|
| Tissue | Rate |
| Liver | 260.00 |
| Stomach | 11.80 |
| Small intestine | 7.50–19.30 |
| Heart | 0.80 |
| Lungs | 3.60–8.10 |
| Skeletal muscle | 0.03 |
| Adipose | 6.70 |
| Brain | 0.05 |
| Testes | 26.20 |
| Ovaries | 7.00 |
Alcohol metabolism reflected by dehydrogenase (ADH) activity in rat tissues was compiled from Riveros-Rosas et al. and Raskin and Sokoloff. Rates of metabolism are expressed as milli-enzymatic units (mU) per gram (g) of tissue (94, 98). For comparison purposes, values from Raskin and Sokoloff were normalized to the ADH enzymatic rate of liver (factor of 1.49). Absolute tissue-specific rates may vary between species.