Evidence for potentiation of lipid peroxidation in the rat liver after chronic ethanol feeding

Hepatic steatosis was induced in rats by feeding nutritionally adequate liquid diet containing ethanol as 36% of energy for 4-5 weeks. After 24 h fasting and withdrawal from ethanol, liver ischaemia for 30 min followed by 2 h reperfusion resulted in a significant increase in microsomal lipid peroxide content and a decrease in reduced glutathione content as well as in protein synthesis with a rapid accumulation of triglyceride in the liver. In rats fed a non-ethanol diet or those fed a high-cholesterol diet with hepatic steatosis, however, similar phenomena were not found. These findings suggest that chronic ethanol feeding potentiates hepatic lipid peroxidation.