title: Some effects of chronic experimental protein malnutrition and ethanol intake on the ganglioside composition of rat brain during adulthood.
abstract: Four groups of rats were used in a nutritionally-controlled study of experimental protein malnutrition and ethanol intake on brain ganglioside composition (GM3, GM2, GM1, GD1a, GD1b, GT1b and GQ1). Male Wistar rats chronically consuming ethanol were fed isoenergetic diets containing 22% (SC-22) or 6% protein (SPD-6), from 60 to 240 days of age. Protein malnutrition initiated at 60 days of age affected monosialoganglioside GM1 composition by 240 days of age. Among the effects of ethanol was an increase of the relative proportion of N-acetylneuraminic acid in the trisialoganglioside GT1b, while there was decrease of the disialoganglioside GD1a. Effects of low protein diet generally did not interfere with ethanol effects except for GD1a and GT1b gangliosides. These changes may be adaptive responses to the fluidizing effect of ethanol on brain membranes.
mesh_terms: D000437:Alcoholism / Q000150:complications*; D000818:Animals; D001923:Brain Chemistry; D055598:Chemical Phenomena; D002621:Chemistry; D005732:Gangliosides / Q000032:analysis*; D008297:Male; D011488:Protein Deficiency / Q000150:complications*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains
chemical_list: D005732:Gangliosides