2025 Summer Research Symposium • Samantha Nguyen • July 9, 2025

Samantha Nguyen

she/her

Class of 2028

Majors: Psychology

Mentor: Brett Ginsburg, PhD (he/him), UT Health San Antonio

The relationship of Phosphatidylethanol and Cholesterol in Non-Human

Primates

Background: Phosphatidylethanol (PEth) is a metabolite of ethanol, therefore a direct detector

of alcohol in the human body, which is used to identify and monitor severity of alcohol events.

There are standardized levels that indicate little to heavy drinking, ranging from 0-200+. PEth

levels, however, are variable amongst humans. Non-human primates such as monkeys have been

proven to produce PEth, being a viable model to test for these sources of variability amongst

humans. In this study, we examined the relationship of cholesterol and lipid proteins to an

abundant PEth homolog [16:0/18:01] in non-human primates existing in both humans and

monkeys.

Methods: 6 monkeys were given unrestricted access to 4% ethanol solution and water 20

hours/day for 14 days. Whole blood samples were taken afterwards and then analyzed for PEth

homolog [16:0/18:01] using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) as well as for total

cholesterol, HDL, and LDL using an AF HDL & LDL/VLDL assay kit (ELISA).

Results: The results show that 1) PEth to lipid counts have a better accuracy when read

immediately after alcohol consumption, compared to after 2 weeks; 2) the PEth/HDL had the

highest correlation when reflected in volume intake (amount); 3) PEth/LDL had the highest

correlation when reflected in concentration (dose).

Conclusion: Results suggest PEth to lipid ratios have a stronger correlation when blood is tested

more recently compared to over time, as well as when PEth is compared to recent alcohol intake

alone. More research needs to be conducted to better understand the relationship between

phosphatidylethanol and lipid interaction.

Keywords: Phosphatidylethanol (PEth), Blood, Ethanol, Cholesterol, High-density

Lipoprotein (HDL), Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL)