COMPARATIVE-STUDY OF THE DAMAGE PRODUCED BY ACUTE ETHANOL AND ACETALDEHYDE TREATMENT IN A HUMAN FETAL HEPATIC CELL-LINE

The effects of acute ethanol and acetaldehyde treatment on cell prolif eration, cell adhesion capacity, neutral red incorporation into lysoso mes, glutathione content, protein sulfhydryl compounds, lipid peroxida tion, inner mitochondrial membrane integrity (MTT test), lactate dehyd rogenase activity (LDH) and ultrastructural alterations were investiga ted in a human fetal hepatic cell line (WRL-68 cells). WRL-68 cells we re used, due to the fact that, although this cell line expresses some hepatic characteristics, it does not express alcohol dehydrogenase or cytochrome P450 activity, so it could be a good model to study the eff ect of the toxic agents per se. Cells were exposed during 120 min with 200 mM ethanol or 10 mM acetaldehyde. Under these conditions, cells p resented 100% viability and no morphological alteration was observed b y light microscopy. Acetaldehyde-treated cells reduced their prolifera tive capacity drastically while the ethanol-treated ones presented no difference with control cells. Cell adhesion to substrate, measured as time required to adhere to the substrate and time required to detach from the substrate, was diminished in acetaldehyde WRL-68-treated cell s. Cytotoxicity measures as neutral red and MTT test showed that aceta ldehyde-treated cells presented more damage than ethanol-treated ones. Cellular respiratory capacity was compromised by acetaldehyde treatme nt due to 40% less oxygen consumption than control cells. Lipid peroxi dation values, measured as malondialdehyde production, were higher in ethanol-treated WRL-68 cells (127%) than in acetaldehyde-treated ones (60%) to control cell values. Lactate dehydrogenase activity (LDH) in extracellular media of ethanol-treated cells presented the highest val ues. GSH content was reduced 95% and thiol protein content was diminis hed severely in acetaldehyde-treated cells. Transmission electron micr oscopy showed more ultrastructural alterations in cells treated with a cetaldehyde. The results indicate that acetaldehyde, like ethanol, pro duced damage at cellular level, although more damage could be observed in acetaldehyde WRL-68-treated cells. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Irela nd Ltd.