Dose-dependent decrease in rat plasma amino acids after acute administration of ethanol

Abstract

Abstract Male rats were given three different doses of ethanol in i.p. injections (0.66, 1.33 and 200 g kg−1). A dose-dependent decrease in the concentrations of most plasma amino acids was observed. For the total amino acid concentration this decrease was 5, 16 and 22%, respectively, compared with a saline-treated control group. It has previously been suggested that the oxidation of ethanol plays an important role in the amino acid decreasing effect of ethanol. In this study the lowest dose used (0.66 g kg−1) was calculated to be high enough to keep the enzyme systems involved in ethanol oxidation saturated during the 60 min course of the experiment. The observation that the ethanol-induced decrease in plasma amino acid levels was more pronounced with higher ethanol doses indicates that not only the oxidation of ethanol but also ethanol itself is important in the effect of ethanol on plasma amino acid concentrations.