ACUTE EFFECTS OF ETHANOL ON MINERAL METABOLISM AND TRABECULAR BONE INSPRAGUE-DAWLEY RATS

In order to assess the effects of acute ethanol intoxication on bone, 45 female Sprague-Dawley rats were studied. Five rats were sacrificed at baseline, The remainder received either ethanol (2 g/kg of body wei ght) intraperitoneally or isotonic saline. Rats were sacrificed in gro ups of 10 (5 intoxicated and 5 placebo) at 1, 4, 8, and 24 hours after injection, At the time of sacrifice, a blood sample was obtained and the 4th vertebra was excised for histomorphometric analysis of undecal cified bone. Effect of ethanol was assessed by an analysis of variance test using a Scheffe procedure. In ethanol-treated rats we observed ( mean +/- SD, ethanol versus controls, maximum difference point, P valu e) a significant decrease in osteiod surface with osteoblasts (42.86 /- 15.61% versus 64.57 +/- 6.24%, P < 0.05); osteoclast number (0.05 /- 0.02 n/mm(2) versus 0.17 +/- 0.09 n/nm(2), P < 0.05), and osteocalc in (36.9 +/- 2.21 ng/ml versus 45.8 +/- 5.1 ng/ml, P < 0.05). Osteocla st surface was initially reduced (0.129 +/- 0.09% versus 0.425 +/- 0.2 6%, P < 0.01) but showed a subsequent increase (0.765 +/- 0.24% versus 0.226 +/- 0.17%, P < 0.01) attributable to alcohol. There was also a significant decrease in serum Ca (8.51 +/- 0.23 mg/dl versus 9.10 +/- 0.29 mg/dl, P < 0.01) and parathyroid hormone values (23.51 +/- 5.72 p g/ml versus 76.39 +/- 11.66 pg/ml, P < 0.001). We conclude that acute alcohol intoxication in rats induces early striking changes in bone hi stology and analytical parameters, not completely reversed after 24 ho urs, These data are consistent with a toxic effect induced by alcohol on bone.