EFFECT OF VITAMIN-E-DEFICIENCY ON INHIBITION OF LIVER-REGENERATION BYLONG-TERM ADMINISTRATION OF ALCOHOL

The effects of vitamin E (VE) deficiency on liver regeneration suppres sed by long-term administration of alcohol were studied. Mate rats wer e divided into two groups: the alcohol group and the control group. In addition, each group was subdivided into two groups according to the presence or not of VE. Altogether, four groups were provided: a group maintained on the VE-deficient alcohol diet (group EA), a group mainta ined on the VE-deficient control diet (group EC), a group maintained o n the ordinary alcohol diet (group A), and a group maintained on the o rdinary control diet (group C). After pair-feeding for 6 weeks, partia l hepatectomy was performed to determine the ornithine decarboxylase ( ODC) activity, polyamine levels, lipid peroxide levels, and DNA synthe sis. DNA synthesis at 24 hr after partial hepatectomy was suppressed s ignificantly in the alcohol administration group, regardless of the pr esence or not of VE. PNA synthesis at 48 hr after partial hepatectomy tended to show low values in group EA, compared with group A. As for t he hepatic ODC activity, group EA showed the lowest value at 4 hr afte r partial hepatectomy. Of polyamines, the putrescine level in group EA at 4 hr after partial hepatectomy was significantly low, compared wit h the other three groups. The levels of spermidine and spermine decrea sed by long-term administration of alcohol, but the effect of VE defic iency was not found. The lipid peroxide level increased significantly in the VE-deficient diet administration group, but the effect of alcoh ol administration was not found. These results suggested that the decr ease in putrescine after ODC suppression by VE deficiency in addition to the decrease in spermidine and spermine caused by long-term alcohol administration were concerned with suppression of DNA synthesis later .