Tissue concentrations of magnesium in rats receiving various dosages of ethanol

Ethanol exerts various influences on living organisms. The experiments were conducted in order to determine the influence of ethanol on changes of magnesium concentration in various tissues. The experiment was conducted on white Wistar rats of both sexes. The animals were divided into groups of ten rats each. They received ethanol in their drinking water for 6 weeks. The first group received 5 per cent ethanol, the second received 20 per cent ethanol, the third was the control group and received water. All animals were fed with the same laboratory feed and watered ad libitum. After the duration of the experiment the animals were sacrificed using ketamine. The brain, liver, heart, lung, kidney, spleen, femoral muscle and blood serum were then harvested for further testing. The magnesium concentration was tested in these tissues by using atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS). Ethanol in feed causes a shift in the tissue concentration of magnesium. The range of these concentration differences is determined by the dosages as well as by the type of tissue.