INIMEC - CONICET   05467
INSTITUTO DE INVESTIGACION MEDICA MERCEDES Y MARTIN FERREYRA
Unidad Ejecutora - UE
congresos y reuniones científicas
Título:
DETECTION OF ENDOGENOUS ALCOHOL IN RAT NEONATES
Autor/es:
HAYMAL, OB; ACEVEDO MB; MOLINA JC
Reunión:
Workshop; First Joint Meeting Alcohol and other Drugs of Abuse: from molecules to human disorders; 2013
Resumen:
Endogenous ethanol can be detected in
different mammalian species as a function
of the metabolism of endogenous
acetaldehyde or due to an ?auto-brewery?
production of the drug mediated by different
species of yeast acting in the
gastrointestinal system. Under nonpathological
conditions, levels of
endogenous ethanol are very low and
unlikely to exert significant functional
effects since the liver is capable of
metabolizing the drug at a higher rate that it
can be produced. Yet, the capability of the
liver to metabolize ethanol negatively
correlates with age (in rats see: Kelly et al.,
1987). The present study was focused on
the possibility of detecting levels of
endogenous ethanol in rat neonates known
to exhibit liver metabolic immaturity. Headspace
gas chromatographic analyses were
employed to determine blood ethanol levels
(mg%) in Wistar-derived heterogenous
pups at postnatal day (PD) 5 (n=70) or 7
(n=102). In the younger organisms (PD5),
chromatographic analyses were also
performed relative to possible ethanol
contents in the brains. In terms of blood
samples, 31.4% and 23.6% of the pups at
PD 5 and PD 7, respectively; presented
detectable ethanol levels (PD 5: 5.96 +/-
0.49 mg% and PD 7: 5.14 +/- 0.65 mg%). In
turn, 34.3% of the younger pups presented
higher levels of the drug in brain relative to
those observed in systemic blood (brain
levels: 10.45 +/- 1.19 mg%). These results
encourage ontogenetic comparisons
related with endogenous alcohol production
and its functional significance due to
developmental differences related with
peripheral and central metabolism of the
drug.