Effects of alcohol on alpha-adrenergic receptor regulation of calcium ATPase in liver plasma membranes

Sex differences in hepatic gluconeogenic capacity after chronic alcohol consumption

Alcohol-induced hypoglycemia has traditionally been attributed to the amount of ethanol consumed rather than any inherent decline in glucose output capacity by the gluconeogenic organs and/or an increase in skeletal muscle glucose uptake. Further, while the potential for sex differences that might impact glucose homeostasis following chronic alcohol consumption has been recognized, direct evidence has been noticeably absent. This paper will provide a brief review of past and present reports of the potential for sex differences in glucose homeostasis following chronic ethanol consumption. This paper will also provide direct evidence from our laboratory demonstrating sex differences from chronic alcohol consumption resulting in a decrement in glucose appearance and more importantly, a specific decline in hepatic gluconeogenic (HGN) capacity in the absence and presence of ethanol. All our studies involved 8 weeks of chronic alcohol consumption in male and female Wistar rats, as well as a 24 to 48 hour fast to deplete hepatic glycogen stores. Under the conditions of chronic alcohol consumption and an acute dose of ethanol, we provide in vivo evidence of an early decline in whole body glucose appearance in females fed an ethanol diet compared to controls. While the decline was also observed in males fed the alcohol diet, it occurred much later compared to ethanol fed females. The site for the decline in whole body glucose production (i.e., either the kidneys or the liver) was beyond the scope of our prior in vivo study. In a follow-up study using the in situ perfused liver preparation, we provide additional evidence for a specific reduction in HGN capacity from lactate in ethanol fed females compared to ethanol fed males in the absence of alcohol in the perfusion medium. Finally, employing the isolated hepatocyte technique, we report decrements in HGN from lactate in ethanol fed females compared to ethanol fed males in the presence of ethanol in the incubation medium. The mechanism for the specific decline in HGN within the liver of ethanol fed females remains to be determined. To the extent that our observations in animals can be extrapolated to humans, we conclude that alcoholic women are more susceptible to ethanol-induced hypoglycemia compared to alcoholic men.

Cultured postnatal rat medial septal neurons respond to acute ethanol treatment and nerve growth factor by changing intracellular calcium levels

Ethanol neurotoxicity results in the loss of neurons during the development of the nervous system. Nerve growth factor (NGF) can ameliorate the neurotoxic effects of ethanol (EtOH) in rat medial septal (MS) neurons. These experiments study the effects of EtOH and NGF on neuronal calcium (Ca2+) homeostasis in cultured postnatal day of birth (PO) rat MS neurons. Previously, we observed that EtOH and NGF modulate intracellular Ca2+ levels [Ca2+]i) in unstimulated and high potassium stimulated (30 mM KCl) cultured rat embryonic day 21 (E21) MS neurons (Webb et al., Brain Res 701:61-74, 1995). The purpose of the present study was to explore whether the effects of EtOH and NGF on Ca2+ homeostasis were altered by developmental stage. The hypotheses tested were the following: treatment with EtOH affects Ca2+ homeostasis in postnatal day of birth (PO) rat MS neurons by causing transient and persistent changes in [Ca2+]i; NGF modulates Ca2+ homeostasis in MS neurons by regulating [Ca2+]i; the action of NGF changes the response of MS neurons to EtOH, thus altering Ca2+ homeostasis; and that EtOH and/or NGF effects on Ca2+ homeostasis are developmentally regulated. Our results indicated that behaviorally relevant levels of EtOH caused a rapid transient increase in basal [Ca2+]i, whereas there was no effect of NGF on basal [Ca2+]i. Ethanol and NGF interacted, resulting in the lowering of [Ca2+]i. During stimulation with high K+, EtOH inhibited the change in [Ca2+]i. NGF partially ameliorated this effect of higher levels of EtOH, allowing [Ca2+]i to increase. NGF and the lowest level of EtOH potentiated the high K+ stimulated increase in [Ca2+]i. Ethanol and NGF effects on [Ca2+]i were different in the PO neurons compared with our previously published observations in E21 neurons. Therefore, these data suggest that EtOH neurotoxicity and NGF protection involve mechanisms that regulate neuronal Ca2+ homeostasis, and the magnitude of these effects depend on developmental stage.

Epinephrine-induced changes in hepatic glucose production after ethanol

Previous studies indicate that catecholamines play an important role in mediating the glucose metabolic response to endotoxin. Because acute ethanol (EtOH) intoxication impairs this response, the present study was initiated to ascertain whether EtOH attenuates the lipopolysaccharide response by decreasing the increment in plasma catecholamines after endotoxin or by decreasing the responsiveness of rats to epinephrine. All studies were performed on chronically catheterized fasted rats infused intravenously with either EtOH or an equal volume of saline. In the first series of experiments, intravenous administration of Escherichia coli endotoxin increased, to the same extent, the plasma concentrations of epinephrine and norepinephrine in both saline- and EtOH-infused rats. In the second study, rats were infused with [3-3H]glucose to assess whole body glucose metabolism and the ability of EtOH to alter the glucose metabolic response to epinephrine. The exogenous infusion of a maximally stimulating dose of epinephrine (1 microgram.min-1.kg-1) into saline-infused control animals for 3 h produced a marked hyperglycemia that resulted from a sustained increase in the rate of hepatic glucose production and a reduction in the metabolic clearance rate for glucose. EtOH infusion did not prevent the epinephrine-induced hyperglycemia but blunted the stimulatory effect of epinephrine on glucose production. The differences in glucose metabolism between saline- and EtOH-treated rats could not be explained by changes in plasma insulin or glucagon concentrations. Furthermore, the ability of EtOH to impair the epinephrine-induced increase in glucose production was still evident in rats treated with 4-methylpyrazole, an inhibitor of alcohol dehydrogenase.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Effects of acute alcohol intoxication on gluconeogenesis and its hormonal responsiveness in isolated, perfused rat liver

Rats were acutely administered ethanol as a primed constant infusion in order to produce sustained blood ethanol levels of 8-12 or 55-65 mM. At the end of ethanol infusion the livers were either freeze-clamped in vivo or isolated and perfused for metabolic studies. The rate of gluconeogenesis and its responsiveness to phenylephrine (10 microM), prostaglandin F2 alpha (5 microM) and glucagon (10 nM), as well as the redox state of the cytosolic NAD(+)-NADH system were assessed in livers isolated from acutely ethanol-treated rats, and subsequently perfused without ethanol. For liver clamped in vivo, high- but not low-ethanol treatment decreased the ATP content by 31% and slightly increased ADP and AMP content, resulting in a decreased energy charge (11%). Glutamate and aspartate content was also increased in high-dose ethanol-infused rats with no changes in malate and 2-oxoglutarate content. Gluconeogenesis with saturating concentrations of lactate (4 mM)+pyruvate (0.4 mM) was delayed in reaching a plateau in the livers of high-dose ethanol-treated rats and its response to all three stimulators was impaired. Low-dose ethanol treatment only decreased the liver response to phenylephrine. While the perfused livers of low-dose ethanol-treated rats displayed no changes in adenine nucleotide content, the livers of high-dose ethanol-treated rats had a decreased ATP (35%) and an increased AMP (77%) content, paralleled by a fall in the total adenine nucleotides (14%) and energy charge (14%). No differences were observed between the saline- and ethanol-treated rats with respect to malate-aspartate shuttle intermediate concentration in perfused livers. Also, the livers of high-, but not low-dose ethanol-treated rats had a more negative value of NAD(+)-NADH redox state as compared to the livers of control rats. The data suggest that acute ethanol intoxication produces changes in liver metabolism and its responsiveness to hormones/agonists that are demonstrable for at least 2 hr after isolation and perfusion of the liver.

Influence of ethanol on calcium, inositol phospholipids and intracellular signalling mechanisms

Studies have implicated Ca++ in the actions of ethanol at many biochemical levels. Calcium as a major intracellular messenger in the central nervous system is involved in many processes, including protein phosphorylation enzyme activation and secretion of hormones and neurotransmitters. The control of intracellular calcium, therefore, represents a major step by which neuronal cells regulate their activities. The present review focuses on three primary areas which influence intracellular calcium levels; voltage-dependent Ca++ channels, receptor-mediated inositol phospholipid hydrolysis, and Ca++/Mg++-ATPase, the high affinity membrane Ca++ pump. Current research suggests that a subtype of the voltage-dependent Ca++ channel, the dihydropyridine-sensitive Ca++ channel, is uniquely sensitive to acute and chronic ethanol treatment. Acute exposure inhibits, while chronic ethanol exposure increases 45Ca++-influx and [3H]dihydropyridine receptor binding sites. In addition, acute and chronic exposure to ethanol inhibits, then increases Ca++/Mg++-ATPase activity in neuronal membranes. Changes in Ca++ channel and Ca++/Mg++-ATPase activity following chronic ethanol may occur as an adaptation process to increase Ca++ availability for intracellular processes. Since receptor-dependent inositol phospholipid hydrolysis is enhanced after chronic ethanol treatment, subsequent activation of protein kinase-C may also be involved in the adaptation process and may indicate increased coupling for receptor-dependent changes in Ca++/Mg++-ATPase activity. The increased sensitivity of three Ca++-dependent processes suggest that adaptation to chronic ethanol exposure may involve coupling of one or more of these processes to receptor-mediated events.