EFFECT OF ETHANOL ON AMINO-ACIDS AND RELATED-COMPOUNDS IN RAT PLASMA,HEART, AORTA, BRONCHUS, AND PANCREAS

The composition of 36 amino acids and related amino compounds is prese nted for plasma, aorta, heart, pancreas, and bronchi. The distribution pattern of these biochemicals is similar but not identical among the tissues. The effect of an acute dose of ethanol (2 g/kg, P) on these a mino acids and related compounds was then studied. in the plasma, alan ine, arginine, aspartic acid, beta-alanine, glycine, phenylalanine, an d serine are decreased. In the aorta, ammonia and taurine are decrease d. In the heart, aspartic acid and leucine are decreased, and carnosin e, GABA, glutamic acid, and ornithine are increased. In the pancreas, asparagine and taurine are decreased, and citrulline, cysteine, histid ine, and isoleucine are increased. In the bronchi, GABA, ethanolamine, histidine, taurine, and isoleucine are decreased. A number of correla tions of some compounds in plasma or tissues were found but differed o ften between control and ethanol-treated animals. Ethanol-induced tiss ue changes generally do not correlate with plasma changes and are most ly specific for a given tissue.