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1. The time-course of the effects of ethanol administration on the metabolite concentrations, redox states and phosphorylation state was studied in the freeze-clamped liver of starved rats. The response was found to vary with the time after ethanol administration. 2. Administration of ethanol caused an immediate decrease in the [NAD(+)]/[NADH] ratio of both cytoplasm and mitochondria, which persisted over the 30min studied. 3. The free cytoplasmic [NADP(+)]/[NADPH] ratio in liver decreases immediately after ethanol administration but returns nearly to control values after 15min. 4. The cytoplasmic [ATP]/[ADP][HPO(4) (2-)] ratio is elevated 15min after ethanol administration in the starved rat. 5. The rapid and large changes in most metabolite concentrations measured appeared to result from the maintenance of near-equilibrium in a wide interlinked network. 6. Differences between fed and starved rats 15min after ethanol administration were slight.

Tetrahydrobiopterin (BH₄) is a vital cofactor maintaining availability of the amine neurotransmitters [dopamine (DA), noradrenaline (NA), and serotonin (5-HT)], regulating the synthesis of nitric oxide (NO) by nitric oxide synthase (NOS), and stimulating and modulating the glutamatergic system (directly and indirectly). These BH₄ properties and their potential relevance to schizophrenia led us to investigate the hypothesis of a study group (healthy controls, n = 37; schizophrenics, n = 154) effect on fasting plasma total biopterin levels (a measure of BH₄). Study analysis showed a highly significant deficit of total biopterins for the schizophrenic sample after partialling out the effects of potential confounds of gender, age, ethnicity, neuroleptic use history and dose of current use, 24-hour dietary phenylalanine/protein ratio (a dietary variable relevant to BH₄ synthesis), and plasma phenylalanine (which stimulates BH₄ synthesis). A mean decrement of 34% in plasma total biopterins for schizophrenics from control values supports clinical relevance for the finding. In a subsample (21 controls and 23 schizophrenics), sequence analysis was done of the GTP cyclohydrolase I feedback regulatory gene and no mutations were found in the coding region of the gene. A deficiency of BH₄ could lead to hypofunction of the systems of DA, NA, 5-HT, NOS/NO, and glutamate, all of which have been independently implicated in schizophrenia psychopathology. Further, evidence has been accumulating which implicates the critical interdependence of these neurotransmitter systems in schizophrenia; this concept, along with the present study finding of a biopterin deficit, suggests that further study of the BH₄ system in schizophrenia is warranted and desirable.

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