Studies on ethanol and oral contraceptives: feasibility of a hepatic-gonadal link

Adult male and female rats were subjected to gonadectomy by means of surgical removal of the gonads. In the male, castration resulted in a significant decrease in both body and liver weights compared to intact controls, which persisted for at least 3 weeks. Conversely, ovariectomy was associated with a significant enhancement in both growth rate and liver weight from intact controls. Castration of male rats resulted in induction of hepatic L-ADH (cytosolic alcohol dehydrogenase) and L-ALDH (cytosolic aldehyde dehydrogenase) as contrasted with inhibition of mitochondrial ALDH which was evident in the enzyme with the apparent high Km. Kinetic studies indicate that there was an increase in apparent Km of L-ADH, and hence reduced affinity to hepatic metabolism of ethanol as a consequence of castration in the male rat. This is compared with few changes occurring in the apparent Km value of L-ALDH. Ovariectomy did not alter endogenous L-ADH or L-ALDH. Short-term administration of a synthetic estrogenic steroid ethinyl estradiol, inhibited liver mitochondrial ALDH in the intact female rat but not in the ovariectomized female. Short-term administration of the same dose of an androgen, testosterone, did not alter specific activities of the liver enzymes measured in the intact or in the castrated male rat. Administration of both components of OCs (oral contraceptives) combined or the estrogen alone in behavioral experiments profoundly reduced ethanol drinking by voluntary intake of diluted ethanol solution by the intact female rat. These results suggest a hepatic-gonadal link may exist and that a toxic interaction between the OCs and alcohol drinking is definitely possible.