medium · MCAT bio-biochem
A patient ingests a large amount of methanol. In the emergency department, doctors administer a high dose of ethanol.
What is the pharmacological rationale for this treatment?
- Ethanol and methanol compete for the active site of alcohol dehydrogenase, preventing the formation of toxic formaldehyde.
- Ethanol acts as an allosteric activator of renal transporters in the kidneys, accelerating methanol excretion in the urine.
- Ethanol is a strong chemical base that neutralizes the toxic formic acid produced during methanol metabolism.
- Ethanol causes irreversible denaturation of alcohol dehydrogenase in the liver, permanently halting all further methanol breakdown.
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