Phosphatidylethanol (original) (raw)

Phosphatidylethanols (PEth) are a group of phospholipids formed only in the presence of ethanol via the action of phospholipase D (PLD). The lipid accumulates in the human body and competes at agonists sites of lipid-gated ion channels contributing to alcohol intoxication. The chemical similarity of PEth to phosphatidic acid (PA) and phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) suggest a likely broad perturbation to lipid signaling; the exact role of PEth as a competitive lipid ligand has not been studied extensively.