title: Hepatic lysosomal cathepsin activities after acute ethanol administration.
abstract: In order to determine whether acute ethanol administration produces alterations in hepatic lysosomal protease activities, male Sprague-Dawley rats were given either ethanol or isocaloric glucose by gastric intubation and the free and total activities of cathepsins B, D, H and L were measured. Twelve hours after administration, the free (nonlatent) activities of cathepsins D and H were higher in ethanol-fed rats than in glucose-fed controls, indicating a slightly higher lysosomal fragility which probably resulted from a nutritional deficiency which was evident in ethanol-fed animals. Measurement of the total (latent plus nonlatent) activities of these cathepsins in detergent-treated homogenates revealed that only cathepsin H activity in ethanol-fed rats was higher than in controls. The results indicate that acute ethanol consumption causes little or no change in the total activities of the cathepsins examined. Thus previously-reported alterations in hepatic protein catabolism following ethanol administration are not related to changes in the activities of these lysosomal proteases.
authors.affiliation: Liver Study Unit, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Omaha, NE.
authors.forename: T M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Donohue
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Drey
authors.forename: R K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Zetterman
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002403:Cathepsins / Q000378:metabolism*; D000431:Ethanol / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000097:blood; D008099:Liver / Q000201:enzymology*; D008247:Lysosomes / Q000201:enzymology; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000431:Ethanol; D002403:Cathepsins