Effects of ethanol on the microtubules of cultured rat hepatocytes.
Changes in microtubules (MT) of cultured rat hepatocytes caused by ethanol (Et-OH) or acetaldehyde (Ac-CHO) were studied immunohistochemically and by scanning electron microscopy. After a 6 hour incubation in the Et-OH added medium, the MT cables stained by indirect immunofluorescence had clearly decreased, in the same way as cells that had been cold-treated for 3 hours. These MT changes parallelled changes in the Ac-CHO levels in the medium. In the Ac-CHO added medium, the MT cables exhibited change within 3 hours. In the Et-OH and 4-methyl pyrazole added medium, Et-OH and Ac-CHO levels, and MT cables did not change during a 24 hour observation period. A decrease in hepatic MT was also confirmed by scanning electron microscopy. These results indicated that acute administration of Et-OH resulted in a decrease of hepatic MT. However, the effect was attributable to Ac-CHO and not to Et-OH itself.
Kawahara
H
H
Department of Internal Medicine, Kanazawa Medical University, Ishikawa, Japan.
Matsuda
Y
Y
Takada
A
A
D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008297:Male; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D008870:Microtubules / Q000187:drug effects*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains
D000431:Ethanol