Hepatic changes in chronic alcoholic rats following periodic acute alcoholic intoxications

Abstract

Rats consuming a 10% sucrose-20% alcohol mixture in their drinking water, received in addition 1.5 ml of a 40% alcohol solution/100 g body wt once weekly for 1 year. The production of hyaline bodies, fatty change, and elevated levels of plasma glutamic oxalacetic transaminase activity were all greater in the rats consuming alcohol chronically and acutely (double loading group) than in the rats consuming it only chronically (single loading group). As the total caloric intake and the caloric proportions of nutrients in the total caloric intake were virtually identical in both groups, the differences in the hepatic lesions and function were attributed to the action of acutely administered alcohol. In addition, the hepatic changes in the rats fed semisynthetic diets were more prominent than those in the rats fed a commercial diet. These results demonstrate that hyaline bodies can be produced experimentally by administration of alcohol, and that the severity of this and other changes is related to the manner of alcohol ingestion as well as to dietary factors.