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Indian Journal of Clinical Biochemistry logoLink to Indian Journal of Clinical Biochemistry
. 2009 Sep 16;24(3):301–306. doi: 10.1007/s12291-009-0056-4

Effects of chronic ethanol consumption in blood: A time dependent study on rat

Subir Kumar Das 1,2,✉, L Dhanya 1, Sowmya Varadhan 1, Sukhes Mukherjee 1, D M Vasudevan 1
PMCID: PMC3453313  PMID: 23105853

Abstract

Alcohol consumption and health outcomes are complex and multidimensional. Ethanol (1.6g / kg body weight/ day) exposure initially affects liver function followed by renal function of 16–18 week-old male albino rats of Wistar strain weighing 200–220 g. Chronic ethanol ingestion increased in thiobarbituric acid reactive substances level and glutathione s-transferase activity; while decreased reduced gluatathione content and activities of catalase, glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase in a time dependent manner in the hemolysate. Though superoxide dismutase activity increased initially might be due to adaptive response, but decreased later. Elevation of serum nitrite level and transforming growth factor-b1 activity indicated that long-term ethanol consumption may cause hepatic fibrosis and can elicit pro-angiogenic factors. However, no alteration in vascular endothelial growth factor-C activity indicated that ethanol consumption is not associated with lymphangiogenesis. Therefore, we conclude that long-term ethanol-induced toxicity is linked to an oxidative stress, which may aggravate to fibrosis and elevate pro-angiogenic factors, but not associated with lymphangiogenesis.

Key Words: Ethanol, Glutathione, Liver function, Nitric oxide, Oxidative stress, Transforming growth factor, Vascular endothelial growth factor

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