The effect of alcohol ingestion on hepatic aromatase activity and plasma steroid hormones in the rat

Gordon, Gary G.; Southren, A. Louis; Vittek, J.; Lieber, Charles S.

doi:10.1016/0026-0495(79)90163-x

Cited by 100 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 25 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…11 Enzyme, Receptor, and Hormone Analyses. At each time point (30,60, and 90 days) after killing, sex hormone levels and ceruloplasmin activity were measured in serum; in liver, parameters of sex hormone metabolism and sex hormone-responsive liver functions were measured. Specific methods used in the experimental design have already been published in various reports of our previous work.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Fig. 1A shows a time-dependent and significant decrease in serum testosterone levels of alcohol-fed rats at each time point of the study (30,60, and 90 days). The effect was steady and quite profound, even in the more mature animals, which have physiologically higher testosterone production.…”

Section: Serum Sex Steroid Hormone Levels and Testes/body Weight Ratiomentioning

confidence: 96%

“…3B). Statistically significant differences in estrogen-metabolizing activity were measured in alcohol-fed male rats versus control rats at each time point of the study (30,60, and 90 days). The negative effects of alcohol on the activity of these androgen-responsive enzymes became more profound with the duration of alcohol diet because it was shown that activity in older alcohol-fed animals did not differ from that of younger animals for both enzymes.…”

Section: Serum Sex Steroid Hormone Levels and Testes/body Weight Ratiomentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Activity of E2-OHase (A) and male-specific estrogen sulfotransferase (B) was measured in IC (dark bars) and AF (hatched bars) rats after death at each time point (30,60, and 90 days, n ϭ 6 for each AF and IC group), using specific enzyme assays published previously as noted in the Materials and Methods section. Statistical differences between AF and IC animals are marked with an asterisk (P Ͻ .05).…”

Section: Figmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Testicular and body weight was measured in IC (dark bars) and AF (hatched bars) rats after death at each time point of chronic alcohol diet (30,60, and 90 days, n ϭ 6 for each AF and IC group). The ratio of testes weight to body weight was calculated and amplified ϫ 10 3 for graphic presentation.…”

Section: Effects Of Ethanol On Liver Sex Hormone Receptor Activitymentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

Hypogonadism precedes liver feminization in chronic alcohol-fed male rats

et al. 2000

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Men who chronically abuse alcohol may display a spectrum of endocrine abnormalities including hypogonadism and feminization, with elevated serum estradiol and low serum testosterone. We examined factors that may result in disruption of hepatic sex hormone homeostasis in alcoholfed male rats and possible consequences of such changes. Rats were fed alcohol-containing or isocaloric diets for 30, 60, and 90 days. In alcohol-fed rats, serum testosterone levels and hepatic activity of 2 androgen-dependent estrogen metabolizing enzymes were reduced (P F .05) at all times, as was activity of androgen receptor. There was also a significant early and progressive decrease in testes/body ratio in alcohol-fed rats. Compared with this early decrease in testosterone-related parameters, there was a significant increase in serum estrogen levels (at 30 and 90 days, 132% and 168% of control values, respectively). An increase in serum ceruloplasmin, an estrogen-responsive liver protein, was apparent at 60 and 90 days, but not at 30 days of alcohol exposure, suggesting that hypogonadism precedes liver feminization. Hepatic estrogen receptor activity was decreased in alcohol-fed rats at 60 and 90 days, the latter despite elevated serum estrogen levels. Hepatic aromatase was slightly increased in alcohol-fed rats, an elevation probably not sufficient to account for observed increases in serum estrogen. Taken together, these data suggest that (1) alcohol induces profound reduction of serum testosterone, resulting in loss of androgen-regulated hepatic functions such as estrogen-metabolizing enzyme activity and activity of androgen receptors; and (2) Hypogonadism and feminization of chronic alcoholic men have long been recognized as clinical syndromes and are most apparent in alcoholic cirrhosis, with defined signs such as gynecomastia, palmar erythema, testicular atrophy, loss of chest hair, and spider angiomata, together with an increased serum estrogen-to-testosterone ratio. 1,2 However, it has also been noted that similar changes occur in men who chronically abuse alcohol but are without cirrhosis or without apparent liver disease. 3,4 This latter finding suggests that changes in sex hormone homeostasis may occur because of the effect of ethanol per se, and not only because of liver disease and the circulatory changes in cirrhosis. With the development of experimental animal models of alcoholic liver disease together with more sensitive research techniques, a debate has existed for the past 3 decades regarding possible underlying mechanisms of this phenomenon in alcoholics. 5 It is now clear that there is an inversion of serum sex hormone levels (low testosterone versus higher estrogen) in alcoholic men, based on a number of studies in rodent models and in humans. However, the failure of sex hormone therapy to substantially correct those changes in patients with alcoholic liver disease 6,7 revealed that such an approach to this problem was simplistic, and that the complete timing and chain of events in the mechanism of sex hormone s...

show abstract

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Serum Sex Steroid Hormone Levels and Testes/body Weight Ratiomentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: Serum Sex Steroid Hormone Levels and Testes/body Weight Ratiomentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Figmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Effects Of Ethanol On Liver Sex Hormone Receptor Activitymentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Hypogonadism precedes liver feminization in chronic alcohol-fed male rats

et al. 2000

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Effect of chronic ethanol administration on intermale aggression in rats

Peterson¹,

Pohorecky²

1989

Aggr. Behav.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

An experiment was performed to study the effect of chronic ethanol administration on intermale aggression in rats using a 24‐hour resident‐intruder test. During the resident‐intruder test residents displayed virtually all of the agonistic behaviors, and intruders displayed virtually all of the defensive behaviors. Intruders treated with ethanol displayed more defensive behavior and elicited more agonistic behavior than control intruders. Twenty minutes into the resident‐intruder test intruders showed the greatest increase in corticosterone (338% vs. 129%), while residents showed the greatest increase in testosterone (103% vs. 18%). On the 2nd day of the resident‐intruder test intruders lost more weight than residents (21.5 g vs. 10.2 g). Plasma corticosterone levels remained elevated for the intruders, and in particular for those intruders displaying defensive behaviors regardless of the resident's behavior. Plasma testosterone levels remained elevated for those residents that were paired with intruders that displayed defensive behaviors regardless of the resident's behavior. The frequency and severity of biting attacks by ethanol residents was significantly greater than that of control residents. In addition, the locus of biting attack shifted from the upper back of intruders paired with control residents to the flanks, tail, lower feet, and ventral surface on intruders paired with ethanol residents.

show abstract