In vitro 31P-NMR spectroscopic studies of rat liver subjected to chronic ethanol administration

31P-NMR spectroscopy of rat liver perchloric acid extracts was utilized to assess hepatic levels of major phosphorylated metabolites with and without ethanol administration from 0 to 51 days. The results are: (1) 3-phosphoglycerate was largely decreased starting from the first day of ethanol ingestion, (2) in ethanol-treated rats, phosphoethanolamine exhibited a significant decrease relative to the control rats until around day 30, (3) glycerophosphocholine and glycerophosphoethanolamine decreased over the entire period of ethanol ingestion, (4) ATP, AMP, Pi and energy charge showed significant changes due to ethanol effects when a 40-50 s exposure to CO2 was used prior to freeze-clamping, but ADP did not change, and (5) the other observable metabolites did not show statistically significant change. Some time-dependent changes in metabolite concentration, although not dramatic, were observed from day 1 to day 51 of ethanol administration. Our results indicate that chronic ethanol ingestion results in an inhibition of glycolysis and gluconeogenesis, a decrease in phospholipid breakdown and a lowering of hepatic energy charge.