Reversal by glucose of pancreatic amylase insufficiency in chronic alcoholic rats.
Carbohydrate consumption regulates pancreatic amylase synthesis in rats. The Lieber-DeCarli 36% alcohol diet employed in chronic alcohol studies and the isocaloric control diet contain 11 and 47% of total calories from carbohydrates, respectively. Young rats fed ad libitum the 36% ethanol diet for 2 weeks obtained 1.2 g/day of carbohydrate, whereas those pair-fed with control diet received 5.8 g/day. Rats fed the 36% ethanol diet and given an intramuscular injection of a solution of 1.5 g of glucose daily for 2 weeks received twofold greater amounts of carbohydrate than saline-injected controls (2.7 versus 1.2 g). These changes in carbohydrate intake produced proportionate changes in pancreatic amylase levels. The secretory responses to cholecystokinin-octapeptide (CCK8) of acini from control and glucose-injected rats were significantly higher compared with those in the saline-injected or noninjected alcohol groups. The blood alcohol levels in glucose-injected rats were markedly reduced compared with other alcohol groups (71.7 versus 274.9 mg/dl) despite similar amounts of ethanol ingestion daily (2.4 g) in the three groups. In vitro experiments with acini from rats fed a nutritionally optimal diet revealed that high pharmacologic concentrations of ethanol, while inducing basal secretion, inhibited CCK8-stimulated amylase secretion. These results indicate that: (a) the amount of alcohol consumption does not correlate with either the levels of blood alcohol or of pancreatic amylase; (b) the carbohydrate availability in rats regulates pancreatic amylase levels despite significant levels of alcohol in blood; (c) blood alcohol levels observed in vivo may not affect synthetic and secretory processes of amylase in pancreatic acini.
Sankaran
H
H
Surgical Service, VA Medical Center, Portland, Oregon.
Nishimura
C Y
CY
Lin
J C
JC
Desai
A
A
Deveney
C W
CW
Larkin
E C
EC
Rao
G A
GA
D000437:Alcoholism / Q000378:metabolism*; D000681:Amylases / Q000172:deficiency*; D000818:Animals; D002241:Carbohydrates / Q000502:physiology; D005947:Glucose / Q000032:analysis / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007263:Infusions, Parenteral / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D010179:Pancreas / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012844:Sincalide / Q000494:pharmacology
D002241:Carbohydrates; D000681:Amylases; D005947:Glucose; D012844:Sincalide