KUPFFER CELLS ARE REQUIRED FOR THE SWIFT INCREASE IN ALCOHOL METABOLISM

Treatment with ethanol (5.0 gag for 25 h) increased oxygen uptake from 107 to 182 mumoles/g/h and ethanol metabolism from 76 to 95 mumoles/g /h in perfused rat liver (SIAM). Pretreatment with the rare earth meta l GdCl3 (10 mg/kg) inactivated Kupffer cells in a dose-dependent manne r. Following treatment with GdCl3, SIAM was blocked completely. Basal rates of oxygen uptake and ethanol uptake of 63 and 43 mumoles/g/hr, r espectively, were actually lower than control values. Taken together, these studies support the hypothesis that Kupffer cells produce mediat ors (e.g. protaglandins and cytokines) that are required for the SIAM phenomenon.