Diurnal Regulation and Gene-Specific Vulnerability of Oxidative Alcohol-Metabolizing Enzymes to Circadian Disruption

Feb 27, 2026International journal of molecular sciences

Daily Patterns and Gene-Specific Sensitivity of Alcohol-Breaking Enzymes to Body Clock Disruption

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Abstract

ALDH2 exhibited robust ~24 h oscillations in liver tissue that peaked during the light/resting phase.

  • Alcohol metabolizing enzymes in the liver are regulated in a circadian manner, with distinct patterns observed across different tissues.
  • Disruptions such as acute sleep deprivation and a high-fat diet can severely affect the rhythmicity of ALDH2, potentially leading to impaired detoxification.
  • In mouse models, the loss of core clock gene oscillations did not eliminate the apparent rhythmicity of metabolic genes under light-dark conditions, indicating environmental cues can influence these rhythms.
  • Human ALDH2 and CYP2E1 showed conserved but phase-inverted circadian rhythms compared to mice, with night-shift workers exhibiting disrupted ALDH2 rhythms.
  • These findings suggest a connection between circadian misalignment and reduced acetaldehyde detoxification, emphasizing the need for personalized alcohol consumption guidelines for those with irregular schedules.

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Full Text

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