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.