Activity 2. Parts of the Cell
You do not consume alcoholic beverages, but your friend does, and he consumes these drinks regularly and in large amounts. If we could examine your liver cells and compare them with your friend, would we see a difference in smooth ER and peroxisomes?
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In the cells, numerous organelles are responsible for our body’s response mechanism. A specific example is the roles of the smooth ER and peroxisomes on alcohol consumption. The former are found in liver cells, where one of its primary functions is to detoxify byproducts of natural metabolism and to attempt to detoxify ethanol overloads from excessive alcoholic drinking and barbiturates from a drug overdose. Hence, when a large amount of alcohol is induced by the person, it causes stress in the smooth ER. It is a condition that causes the accumulation of unfolded/misfolded protein in the ER and contributes to alcoholic disorders of major organs such as the liver, pancreas, heart, and brain.
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On the other hand, the latter detoxify alcohol and other harmful substances by transferring hydrogen from the poisons to oxygen molecules (oxidation). According to scientific studies, an alcoholics' number of peroxisomes significantly increased, mainly found in alcoholic hepatitis. As a result, the liver's volume and surface density increase.