ETHANOL-CONSUMPTION BY RATS IS INVERSELY RELATED TO HEPATIC ALCOHOL-DEHYDROGENASE ACTIVITY

Under normal circumstances the rate of hepatic ethanol oxidation and t he rate at which ethanol is removed from the blood are dependent on th e hepatic activity of alcohol dehydrogenase. It is possible that ethan ol metabolism, and thus hepatic alcohol dehydrogenase, could influence ethanol consumption. In this study 11 adult female Wistar rats were p rovided with 20% ethanol as their sole drinking fluid and ethanol cons umption was measured. After a further period of drinking tap water, th e hepatic alcohol dehydrogenase activity was determined. A significant inverse relationship was found between the ethanol consumption by the rats and the hepatic activity of alcohol dehydrogenase (P < 0.05). Th is enzyme could therefore play a role in determining the amount of alo chol an animal will consume.