[Acetaldehyde adducts in the cerebral cortex of long-term ethanol-fed mice]

It is assumed that the acetaldehyde binds to the proteins after the consumption of ethanol to form an adduct. Such acetaldehyde adducts are related to organ diseases. We examined 8-week-old female BALB/cAJcl mice which had been on a liquid diet for six months. The alcohol-fed mice's liquid diet comprised vitamins, minerals, amino acid and a ethanol solution. The five groups of mice examined were 1.5% ethanol-fed, 2% ethanol-fed, 2.5% ethanol-fed, 3% ethanol-fed, and 3.5% ethanol-fed mice respectively. All mice fed by 2.5% or more ethanol died within a month. Tissue samples were taken from the 1.5% and 2% ethanol-fed mice to investigate the distribution of acetaldehyde adducts in various organs. We demonstrated the immunohistochemical staining of the cerebral cortex and liver from the ethanol-fed mice with antibodies against acetaldehyde adducts. In the 2% ethanol-fed mice, the protein epitope related to acetaldehyde was found in the cerebral cortex and the liver. There was a significant difference in the amount of cell degeneration between the 1.5% and 2% ethanol-fed mice. The results suggest that the neurotoxicity of ethanol starts to cause serious cell degeneration in concentrations of more than 1.5%. The neurotoxicity of ethanol in the cerebral cortex was found to be more prominent than in the liver, resulting in more cell degeneration.