Influence of vitamin C status on ethanol metabolism in guinea-pigs.
Guinea-pigs were maintained for 5 weeks on a diet containing three different concentrations of vitamin C: a) traces (none added), b) medium (0.05% w/w) and high (0.5% w/w). Twenty-four hours before killing the animals received one i.p. dose of 3 g ethanol per kg body weight (a model of short-term acute intoxication). In a parallel experiment which lasted 5 weeks, the animals were treated every week with two i.p. doses of 1 g ethanol per kg body weight followed by the final acute intoxication (3g ethanol/kg) (a model of long-term chronic alcoholization). In both experiments, the guinea-pigs with the highest tissue concentration of vitamin C proved to have significantly decreased residual levels of ethanol and acetaldehyde in the liver and the brain, a decreased activity of alanine- and aspartate aminoacyl transferases in the serum and decreased contents of triacylglycerols and cholesterol in the serum and liver in comparison with the vitamin C-unsupplemented group. The regression curve expressing vitamin C levels versus residual ethanol and acetaldehyde concentrations in the liver confirmed the highly significant negative correlation between them. Administration of the guinea-pigs with large amounts of vitamin C appears to accelerate ethanol and acetaldehyde metabolism and reduce some of their adverse health effects.
Institute of Preventive and Clinical Medicine, Bratislava, Slovak Republic.
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Ginter
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Zloch
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Ondreicka
D000079:Acetaldehyde / Q000378:metabolism; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001205:Ascorbic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000378:metabolism; D001921:Brain / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000378:metabolism; D004032:Diet; D000431:Ethanol / Q000633:toxicity*; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D008099:Liver / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D012044:Regression Analysis; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000378:metabolism
D014280:Triglycerides; D000431:Ethanol; D002784:Cholesterol; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D000410:Alanine Transaminase; D000079:Acetaldehyde; D001205:Ascorbic Acid