Effects of Ethanol on Production of Metallothionein in Brain and Liver of Rat

Objective To study the effect of ethanol on central nerve system and to investigate the mechanism of brain damage resulting from ethanol intoxication.Methods Wistar rats were treated by gastric intubation with 0.5ml ethanol(0,10%,30%,50%)per day for 2 months.Zinc and copper were detected by atomic absor ption spectroscopy,and metalloth-ionein was detected by hemoglog bin affinity assay.Results The production of metallothionein in the brain and the liver of the ratincreased after treated by ethanol for long-term.In the male,metallothionein in 50% group increased 2.27,1.53,1.45,1.22,2.58 times respectively in brain,cerebellum,hippocampus,liver,kidney than that in the control group.However,in the female,the increase of metallothio nein in 30% group was more significant,which was 1.39,3.08,1.75,1.49,1.46 times respectively.In addition,the contents of zinc and copper in brain and liver also changed significantly after long-term treated,and change of content of metallo thionein was correlative to that of zinc.Conclusion Taking in ethanol for long-term could induce the increase of metallothionein in the brain and the liver,which was affected by sex.