Fig. 1.
Chronic ethanol consumption reduced bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and alveolar macrophage (AM) glutathione (GSH) levels in vivo. BAL fluid and AMs were collected from control (Con) and ethanol-fed (EtOH) mice (n = 5, in duplicate) given oral GSH (300 mg·kg−1·day−1 in 100 μl methylcellulose vehicle) or vehicle alone for the last 7 days of ethanol feeding. In the BAL fluid, GSH levels (A) and redox potential of the GSH/glutathione disulfide (GSSG) thiol pair (B) were determined by HPLC. In isolated AMs, GSH levels (C) and redox potential of the GSH/GSSG thiol pair (D) were measured by HPLC. GSH and GSSG levels in BAL fluid and AMs were normalized to the appropriate protein concentration. Eh, redox potential. Values are expressed as means ± SE, relative to control. Box plots are shown with medians and the upper and lower quartiles. *P < 0.05, vs. Con; ΦP < 0.05, vs. EtOH.