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Published:
Journal of Analytical Toxicology,
ISSN 0146-4760,
Volume 31, Number 2, March 2007,
pp.93-97
The Reliability of Fatty Acid Ethyl Esters (FAEE) as Biological
Markers for the Diagnosis of Alcohol Abuse
Nadia De Giovanni, Giuseppe Donadio, and Marcello Chiarotti
Institute of Legal Medicine, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, L.go F. Vito,
1–00168 Rome, Italy
The search for biochemical markers for the objective diagnosis
of alcoholism has been a topic of research because of the important clinical
and forensic implications. In the last few years, two minor ethanol metabolites
(ethylglucuronide and fatty acid ethyl esters) have been mainly investigated
in hair samples for their ability to be incorporated into this biological matrix.
The aim of this study was to experience the detection of fatty acid ethyl esters
(FAEE) in the hair of alcoholics, social drinkers, and teetotallers in order
to give a contribution to the existing literature. Hair samples from 12 alcoholics,
10 social drinkers, and 10 teetotallers were analyzed by gas chromatography–mass
spectrometry technique after headspace solid-phase microextraction with deuterated
internal standards. A slight overlap in FAEE concentration between the three
groups was found, probably because of external contamination. This observation
suggests particular attention to the interpretation of the results. Nevertheless,
the results obtained show the usefulness of these biochemical markers in the
diagnosis of alcoholism.
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