Ethanol-induced impairment of hepatic glycoprotein secretion in the isolated rat liver perfusion model

The authors have previously shown that acute administration of ethanol inhibits hepatic glycoprotein secretion in vivo. This ethanol-induced effect appears to be mediated by its reactive metabolite, acetaldehyde. Since hormonal influences and vascular changes can not be controlled in vivo during ethanol administration, they investigated the effect of ethanol in the isolated perfused liver model. Rat liver from fed animals was perfused with oxygenated KRB at 3 ml/min/g liver for 4 hrs. Since ethanol inhibits proteins synthesis in vitro, protein acceptor pool size was equalized in both ethanol and control perfused livers with 1 mM cycloheximide. /sup 3/H-glucosamine was used to label hepatic secretory glycoproteins in the perfusate. Colchicine, a known inhibitor of protein secretion, impaired the secretion of labeled glycoproteins with a concomitant retention of these export proteins in the liver; therefore, confirming the authors secretory model. Ethanol (50 mM) inhibited the appearance of glucosamine-labeled glycoproteins by 60% into the perfusate as compared to control livers. Pretreatment of animals with cyanamide (an aldehyde dehydrogenase inhibitor) further potentiated this effect of ethanol in the isolated perfused liver. These data suggest that ethanol inhibits hepatic glycoprotein secretion in the isolated liver perfusion model, and this ethanol-induced impairment appears to be mediatedmore » by acetaldehyde.« less