Effects of ethanol treatment on Leydig cellular NADPH-generating enzymes and lipid profiles

Effects of ethanol treatment on Leydig cell NADPH-generating enzymes and lipid profiles were studied. Ethanol treatment (3.0 g/kg b.wt.) twice daily as a 25% (v/v) aqueous solution given to adult Wistar rats reduced the body weight, testis weight and relative weights of the seminal vesicles and ventral prostate. Serum LH and testosterone were also decreased. Similarly, the NADPH-generating enzymes such as G-6-PDH, 6-PGDH, NADP-ICDH were reduced, but malic enzyme was unaltered. Leydig cell total lipid was decreased: neutral lipids such as esterified cholesterol and triacyl glycerol were decreased but free cholesterol and diacyl glycerol were increased. The reduction in total phospholipid was contributed to by fractions such as phosphatidyl inositol, phosphatidyl serine, phosphatidyl choline and phosphatidyl ethanolamine. Withdrawal of ethanol treatment for 30 days restored these to the normal level. The present findings suggest that the ethanol treatment impairs Leydig cellular NADPH generation which may be one of the biochemical mechanisms mediating the direct and indirect effects of ethanol resulting in hypoandrogenization.