title: Dietary α-tocopherol content modulates responses to moderate ethanol consumption.
abstract: Rats were fed with diets containing differing amounts of α-tocopherol for 21 days. For the latter 14 days of this period, one half of the rats also received ethanol (7% v/v) in the drinking water. Treatments did not alter the rate of weight gain between groups. Hepatic glutathione levels were depressed by ethanol treatment in rats receiving diets deficient in α-tocopherol or containing normal levels of the vitamin (50 ppm). However, this depression was not found in rats maintained on a high α-tocopherol diet (1000 ppm). The high α-tocopherol diet also prevented the ethanol-induced inhibition of proteolytic activity within the liver. A dose-dependent reduction of rates of hepatic generation of reactive oxygen species was effected by this vitamin. Within the central nervous system, the only region showing an ethanol-induced lowering of glutathione levels, was the midbrain of rats receiving the α-tocopherol deficient diet.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community and Environmental Medicine, Center for Occupational and Environmental Health, University of California, Irvine, CA 92715, USA.
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Bondy
authors.forename: S X
authors.initials: SX
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Adams
authors.forename: L K
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Klaidman
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Edwards