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Comparative Effects of Chronic Ethanol Consumption on the Properties of Mitochondria from Rat Brain and Liver
Author(s) -
Thayer William S.,
Rottenberg Hagai
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
alcoholism: clinical and experimental research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.267
H-Index - 153
eISSN - 1530-0277
pISSN - 0145-6008
DOI - 10.1111/j.1530-0277.1992.tb00625.x
Subject(s) - respiration , mitochondrion , ethanol , cytochrome c oxidase , cellular respiration , endocrinology , medicine , chemistry , metabolism , respiratory system , biochemistry , alcohol , biology , anatomy
The effects of chronic alcohol consumption on biochemical properties of mitochondria isolated from liver and brain were compared in rats. As has been found in previous studies (reviewed in Thayer WS: Ann NY Acad Sci 492:193–206, 1987) in liver, ethanol consumption M to a 41% decrease in active phosphorylating (state 3) respiration and a 25% decrease in resting (state 4) respiration. These changes resulted in a 23% decrease in the respiratory control ratio (ratio of respiration rate in state 3 to that in state 4). These effects were associated with a 40% decrease in functional cytochrome oxidase content, determined spectrophotometrically as heme aa 3 . By contrast, in brain mitochondria isolated from the same rats, ethanol consumption did not result in any significant changes in respiration rates, respiratory control ratio, or cytochrome contents. The findings demonstrate a differential pathobiologic response of brain and liver mitochondria to chronic ethanol consumption. Since the liver is predominant in metabolism of ingested ethanol, the findings of this study suggest that the deleterious effects of chronic alcohol consumption on the structure and function of liver mitochondria may be related to ethanol metabolism.