The effect of methylene blue on the hepatocellular redox state and liver lipid content during chronic ethanol feeding in the rat.
Feeding of ethanol in a liquid diet to male Wistar rats caused decreases in the hepatic cytosolic and mitochondrial [NAD+]/[NADH] ratios. This redox-state change was attenuated after 16 days of feeding ethanol as 36% of the total energy intake. Supplementation of the ethanol-containing liquid diet with Methylene Blue largely prevented the ethanol-induced redox state changes, but did not significantly decrease the severity of the hepatic lipid accumulation that resulted from ethanol ingestion. Methylene Blue did not affect body-weight gain, ethanol intake or serum ethanol concentrations in ethanol-fed rats, nor did the compound influence the hepatic redox state or liver lipid content of appropriate pair-fed control animals. These findings suggest that the altered hepatic redox state that results from ethanol oxidation is not primarily responsible for the production of fatty liver after long-term ethanol feeding in the rat.
D000818:Animals; D004032:Diet; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D050356:Lipid Metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008751:Methylene Blue / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000378:metabolism
D014280:Triglycerides; D000431:Ethanol; D008751:Methylene Blue