OCCURRENCE OF ACETALDEHYDE-PROTEIN ADDUCTS FORMED IN VARIOUS ORGANS OF CHRONICALLY ETHANOL-FED RATS - AN IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL STUDY

We investigated the pathophysiological role of acetaldehyde protein ad ducts formed in vivo in organs of chronically alcohol fed male Wistar rats. Thirty male Wister rats were fed on rodent pellets and 15% alcoh ol (V/V) for 5, 8 and 12 months, respectively before they were sacrifi ced. Further 30 male rats were chosen as the control group. We tested several organs by histological and immunohistochemical methods. Using immunohistological analysis, in the 12 months groups the basal membran es of glomerula, the membranes of liver, skeleton muscle and heart cel ls, and the gut were stained positively for acetaldehyde adducts. Usin g Western blotting of liver cell fractions (mitochondria/lysosomes; mi crosomes; cytosol) adducts in charateristic molecular weight regions w ere detected. Approximately 30% of the sera of experimental rats conta ined antibodies against the acetaldehyde adducts formed in vivo. Immun ologically detectable acetaldehyde adducts could be found in all rat o rgans tested. The stage of alcohol disease attained in this experiment after 12 months of ethanol feeding is described as the initial phase of manifestations of disturbances that are seen also in the carbohydra te metabolism.