Question

For alcohol, ethanol elimination is for the most part zero‐order. Using Michaelis‐Menten equation, explain why?

Answer 1

The ethanol elimination from our body is considered to be a zero order reaction because the ethanol eliminated from the bidy regardless of its quantity in body. It corresponds to the Vmax of single Michaelis menten elimination kinetics.

The equation is

- dC / dT = ( Vmax . C) / Km + C

The Michaelis menten model suggests that for all doses of alcohol administered, the initial two thirds of the decay curve is pseudolinear whereas the terminal portion of the graph is curved.