Effects of chronic wine and alcohol intake on glutathione and malondialdehyde levels in rats

Plasma, liver and kidney malondialdehyde (MDA) and liver and kidney glutath ione levels were determined to evaluate the effect of the chronic intake of wine or alcohol on oxidative metabolism. Wistar rats were treated in separ ate groups as follows: control (standard diet and water), sweet wine (the s ame diet plus sweet wine) and a hydroalcoholic solution equivalent to sweet wine (20% ethanol + 130 g/L glucose + fructose) for 6 months. The consumpt ion of alcoholic beverages was free because the rat could always choose bet ween alcoholic beverage and water. In liver, alcohol ingestion resulted in higher MDA levels but this did not occur in kidney or plasma. Moreover, the reduced glutathione/oxidized glutathione ratio was lower in liver after 6 months of wine or alcohol consumption, but in kidney this ratio was only lo wer in the case of wine. This study shows that the quantity of phenolic com pounds in this sweet wine does not counteract alcohol-induced hepatic oxida tion caused by chronic and high consumption. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Inc.