Hepatic carbohydrate metabolism in rats bred for alcohol preference

The influence of ethanol on the carbohydrate metabolism was studied in two strains of rats: the AA strain with an inherited preference for alcohol and the ANA strain with an aversion to alcohol. In both strains, a single intraperitoneal dose of ethanol (1.5 g/kg body wt.) slightly increased the blood glucose concentration. In AA rats alcohol increased the rate of gluconeogenesis from alanine and had no effect on the liver glycogen stores, whereas in ANA rats the rate of gluconeogenesis remained unchanged and the glycogen stores decreased. It thus appears that the two rat strains maintain their blood glucose concentration by different mechanisms; the ANA rats utilise both glycogenolysis and gluconeogenesis but the AA rats only gluconeogenesis.