Chronic ethanol consumption and exocrine pancreatic response to ethanol and acetaldehyde in the rat

The action of ethanol and acetaldehyde on exocrine pancreatic secretion of a group of normal and a group of chronic (18 months) alcohol-fed Sprague-Dawley rats were investigated. The volume of basal pancreatic secretion was significantly larger in alcoholic rats, but in contrary to previous studies the response to acute intravenous, intragastric and intraduodenal ethanol administration was not significantly different in the two groups. Intragastric and intraduodenal ethanol stimulated both volume and protein secretion, but intragastric ethanol did not stimulate pancreatic secretion after pyloric ligation. Only high doses of intravenous ethanol (4 g/kg but not 2 g/kg) on inhibited pancreatic secretion. Pharmacological intravenous doses of acetaldehyde (500 mg/kg/h) inhibited fluid and protein secretion but 100 mg/kg/h was without effect. This shows that the response of the rat pancreas to alcohol and acetaldehyde is different from the response of dogs and men.