Bases moléculaires des effets toxiques de l'alcool

Alcohol consumption in France is among the greatest in Europe. Although recreational, this consumption may lead to disease (alcoholic liver diseases, aerodigestive or breast cancers and neuronal alterations). The mechanisms involved in the initiation and the development of these pathologies are not fully known. The toxic effects of ethanol affect the entire organism and have several origins which include the oxidative or non-oxidative metabolism or the direct effects of the molecule itself. The molecular study of the signaling pathways disturbed by ethanol and its metabolites is one major approach to improve the characterization of ethanol toxicities. The goal of this review is to describe the diverse molecular pathways induced by ethanol and its metabolites particularly in the liver: oxidative stress, metabolite reactivity, epigenetic modifications or membrane fluidity. Detailed knowledge of these mechanisms will allow improved understanding of the effects of ethanol in the organism and the identification of factors involved in the pathogenesis of liver disease.