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. 1985 Dec 15;232(3):877–882. doi: 10.1042/bj2320877

The effect of methylene blue on the hepatocellular redox state and liver lipid content during chronic ethanol feeding in the rat.

P R Ryle, J Chakraborty, A D Thomson
PMCID: PMC1152964  PMID: 4091827

Abstract

Feeding of ethanol in a liquid diet to male Wistar rats caused decreases in the hepatic cytosolic and mitochondrial [NAD+]/[NADH] ratios. This redox-state change was attenuated after 16 days of feeding ethanol as 36% of the total energy intake. Supplementation of the ethanol-containing liquid diet with Methylene Blue largely prevented the ethanol-induced redox state changes, but did not significantly decrease the severity of the hepatic lipid accumulation that resulted from ethanol ingestion. Methylene Blue did not affect body-weight gain, ethanol intake or serum ethanol concentrations in ethanol-fed rats, nor did the compound influence the hepatic redox state or liver lipid content of appropriate pair-fed control animals. These findings suggest that the altered hepatic redox state that results from ethanol oxidation is not primarily responsible for the production of fatty liver after long-term ethanol feeding in the rat.

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Selected References

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