title: Changes in some pro- and antioxidants in rat cerebellum after chronic alcohol intake.
abstract: Some pro- and antioxidants were measured in the cerebellum from ethanol-fed rats using ethanol administration in drinking water as a model of moderate alcohol intoxication. After 4 weeks of ethanol intake, a 30% increase in the nonheme iron content in the cerebellum occurred in ethanol-fed rats as compared to control animals. The low-molecular-weight-chelated iron (LMWC-Fe) content as well as the percentage of total nonheme iron represented by LMWC-Fe were increased in the cerebellar cytosol after chronic ethanol administration. Cerebellar copper and selenium concentrations were lower and zinc concentration higher in ethanol-fed rats than in controls. Ethanol consumption decreased the cerebellar vitamin E level. Glutathione S-transferase [EC 2. 5. 1. 18] activity was higher, whereas glutathione peroxidase [glutathione: H2O2 oxidoreductase, EC 1. 11. 1. 9] activity was not altered by ethanol treatment. No significant changes in cerebellar lipid peroxidation, carbonyl protein content, or glutamine synthetase [L-glutamate:ammonia ligase (ADP-forming) EC 6. 3. 1. 2] activity were observed. These results suggest that adaptative increases in some elements of the antioxidant defense may counteract the increase in LMWC-Fe, a pro-oxidant factor, and prevent the occurrence of overt cellular lipid and protein damage. However, after 8 weeks of ethanol intake, the activity of glutamine synthetase, an enzyme specially sensitive to inactivation by oxygen radicals, was decreased, suggesting that this prevention was not totally achieved.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Research on Alcoholism, Biomédicale des Saints-Pères, Paris, France.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rouach
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Houzé
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gentil
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Orfanelli
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nordmann
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000032:analysis*; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D000431:Ethanol / Q000633:toxicity*; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase / Q000378:metabolism; D005982:Glutathione Transferase / Q000378:metabolism; D007501:Iron / Q000032:analysis; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012643:Selenium / Q000032:analysis; D015032:Zinc / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D000431:Ethanol; D007501:Iron; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase; D005982:Glutathione Transferase; D012643:Selenium; D015032:Zinc