TOXICITY OF CHRONIC ETHANOL INGESTION AND SUPEROXIDE RADICAL FORMATION ON SEMINAL-VESICLES OF RATS

The toxic effects of chronic ethanol ingestion were evaluated in male adult rats for 300 days. The animals were divided into three groups: t he controls received only tap water as liquid diet; the chronic ethano l ingestion group received only ethanol solution (30%) in semivoluntar y research; and the withdrawal group received the same treatment as ch ronic ethanol-treated rats until 240 days, after which they reverted t o drinking water. Chronic ethanol ingestion induced increased lipopero xide levels and acid phosphatase activities in seminal vesicles. Cu-Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD) decreased from its basal level 70.8 +/- 3. 5 to 50.4 +/- 1.6 U/mg protein at 60 days of chronic ethanol ingestion . As changes in GSH-PX activity were observed in rats after chronic et hanol ingestion, while SOD activities were decreased in these animals, it is assumed that superoxide anion elicits lipoperoxide formation an d induces cell damage before being converted to hydrogen peroxide by S OD. Ethanol withdrawal induced increased SOD activity and reduced semi nar vesicle damage, indicating that the toxic effects were reversible, since increased SOD activity was adequate to scavenge superoxide radi cal formation. Superoxide radical is an important intermediate in the toxicity of chronic ethanol ingestion. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Sci ence Ltd