Effect of ethanol on cadmium-induced lipid peroxidation and antioxidant enzymes in rat liver

We have investigated the effects of the intragastric administration of cadmium (10 mg/kg body weight) and ethanol (5.56 g/kg body weight) alone as well as in combination on hepatic lipid peroxidation, the antioxidant defense system, and the morphology of liver in rats. Cadmium given in combination with ethanol led to a marked increase in cadmium accumulation in liver compared to the level in rats treated only with cadmium. Further, cadmium and ethanol coexposure produced a more pronounced elevation in lipid peroxidation (L-px), which was associated with a significantly greater inhibition of antioxidant enzymes, glutathione peroxidase (GSH-px; EC 1.11.1.9), glutathione reductase (GR; EC 1.6.4.2) and superoxide dismutase (SOD; EC 1.15.1.1), than cadmium treatment alone. The levels of glutathione (GSH) and total thiols (TSH) also decreased significantly after cadmium and ethanol coexposure. On histopathological examination, it was observed that the livers of rats coexposed to cadmium and ethanol showed a marked degeneration of hepatocytes which was not seen in rats treated only with cadmium.