Effect of alcohol on blood glucose and antioxidant enzymes in the liver and kidney of diabetic rats.

OBJECTIVE: Diabetes mellitus affects every organ in the man including eyes, kidney, heart, and nervous system. Alcohol consumption is a widespread practice. As the effects of chronic alcohol consumption on diabetic state have been little studied, this study was conducted with the objective of evaluating the effect of alcohol in diabetic rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: For this study, the rats were divided into five groups (n = 6 in each group): normal control (NC), alcohol treatment (At), diabetic control (DC), diabetic plus alcohol treatment (D + At), diabetic plus glibenclamide treatment (D + Gli). Alcohol treatment was given to the diabetic rats for 30 days. During the period the blood glucose levels, and body weight changes were observed at regular intervals. The antioxidant enzymes like superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were assayed in the liver and kidney tissues. RESULTS: The blood glucose levels were significantly (P < 0.001) elevated and body weight significantly (P < 0.001) decreased in alcohol-treated diabetic rats. SOD and CAT activities were decreased and the MDA level increased significantly (P < 0.001) in alcohol-treated diabetic rats. Histopathological studies showed that alcohol damages the liver and kidney tissues in diabetic rats. CONCLUSION: These finddings concluded that the consumption of alcohol in diabetic rats worsens the condition. So the consumption of alcohol by diabetic subjects may be potentially harmful.

Alcohol-induced deterioration in primary antioxidant and glutathione family enzymes reversed by exercise training in the liver of old rats.

Chronic alcohol consumption causes severe hepatic oxidative damage, particularly to old subjects by decreasing various antioxidant enzymes. In this study, we test the hypothesis that exercise training can protect the aging liver against alcohol-induced oxidative damage. Two different age groups of Wistar albino rats (3 months young, n=24; 18 months old, n=24) were evenly divided into four groups: control (Con), exercise trained (Tr, 23 m/min 30 min/day, 5 days/week for 2 months), ethanol drinking/treated (Et, 2.0 g/kg b.w. orally), and exercise training plus ethanol drinking/treated (Tr+Et). We found significantly (P<.001) lowered hepatic antioxidant enzymes including superoxide dismutase, catalase, selenium (Se)-dependent glutathione peroxidase (Se-GSH-Px), Se-non-dependent glutathione peroxidase (non-Se-GSH-Px), glutathione reductase, and glutathione S-transferase activities in aged rats compared with young. Age-related decrease in antioxidant enzyme status was further exacerbated with ethanol drinking, which indicates liver in aged rats is more susceptible to oxidative damage because of decreased free radical scavenging system in aged/old ethanol-drinking rats. However, the decrease in liver antioxidant enzymes status with ethanol consumption was ameliorated by 2 months exercise training in old and young rats. These results demonstrate that age-associated decrease in hepatic free radical scavenging system exacerbated by ethanol drinking. For the first time, we found that this deterioration was significantly reversed by exercise training in aging liver, thus protects against alcohol-induced oxidative damage.

Protective effect of ginger against alcohol-induced renal damage and antioxidant enzymes in male albino rats.

Superoxide dismutase, ascorbic acid, glutathione and uric acid levels were decreased and xanthine oxidase, glutathione-s-transferase activities were increased in alcohol treated (2 g/kg body weight, once daily for 30 days) group. However, treatment with ethanolic extract of ginger (100 mg/kg, 200 mg/kg body weight, po, once daily for 30 days) these parameters came to normalcy showing the antioxidant effect of ginger. The antioxidant compounds of ginger may modulate the oxidative stress parameters. The biochemical findings were supplemented by histopathological examination of the kidney. Severe congestion and degenerative changes in tubules in alcohol treated rats were restored by ginger extract treatment. The results confirm the renal protective effect of ginger in alcohol treated rats.

Perturbation in kidney lipid metabolic profiles in diabetic rats with reference to alcoholic oxidative stress.

Diabetes is a major threat to global public health, and the number of diabetic patients is rapidly increasing worldwide. Evidence suggests that oxidative stress is involved in the pathophysiology of diabetic complications and alcoholic diseases. The aim of this study is to find out the impact of alcohol on lipid metabolic profiles in kidney tissue under streptozotocin induced diabetic condition. No study has been reported so far on the effect of alcohol on diabetic condition and also with reference to lipid metabolic profiles. Hence, the present study has been designed to elucidate the impact of alcoholism on diabetic condition. Male wistar strain albino rats were randomly divided into four groups: control (saline treated) NC, alcohol-treated (At), diabetic control (DC), and alcohol-treated diabetic rats (D+At). In alcohol-treated diabetic rats, we observed high levels of MDA, total cholesterol, triglycerides, phospholipids and also high levels of blood glucose than other groups. Moreover, degenerative changes of renal cells in alcohol-treated diabetic group were maximized by administration of alcohol as evinced by histopathological examination. This study suggests that alcohol consumption could be an aggravation factor which contributes for the formation of free radicals in diabetic condition. Therefore, consumption of alcohol during diabetic condition is harmful.

Hepatic glutathione mediated antioxidant system in ethanol treated rats: Decline with age.

Alcoholism is a pervasive problem. The aim of the present study was to clarify the effect of ethanol on the hepatic glutathione antioxidant system in young and elderly rats. Male albino Wistar rats of two age groups (3 months and 18 months old) were divided into two experimental groups. The first group of untreated rats served as controls (C; young n=6 and old n=6) and second group received ethanol (Et; young n=6 and old n=6) 2g of ethanol/kg b.w. for 2 months. After the completion of last treatment glutathione (GSH) and antioxidant enzymes glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), glutathione reductase (GR) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) were determined. All these parameters including GST were remarkably decreased in the liver with advancing of age. The ethanol treatment decreased GSH, GSH-Px and GR, whereas, GST was increased in both age groups. The decrease of hepatic antioxidant status with ethanol and aging may be due to over production of free radicals. The changes of parameters studied were greater in the older than in the young rats. In conclusion, ethanol stress exhibited age dependent response on glutathione mediated antioxidant system in the liver.