Acute effects of ethanol on hepatic glycoprotein secretion in the rat in vivo

The in vivo effects of acute ethanol administration on the secretion of plasma glycoproteins and albumin were studied. Ethanol (6 g/kg body wt) was administered intragastrically to nonfasted rats, while control animals received isocaloric glucose. Hepatic protein and glycoprotein secretion in these animals was assessed by determining the rate of appearance of [3H]leucine- and [14C]fucose-labeled proteins into the plasma. Ethanol treatment decreased the secretion of both leucine- and fucose-labeled proteins into the plasma. This inhibition of secretion was accompanied by a corresponding increase in the hepatic retention of both leucine- and fucose-labeled immunoprecipitable secretory proteins. Pretreatment of the ethanol-treated animals with pyrazole, an inhibitor of ethanol metabolism, prevented the inhibition of hepatic protein secretion. These in vivo studies confirm our earlier in vitro findings that acute ethanol administration inhibits the secretion of plasma proteins, resulting in their hepatocellular retention.