Mediation by nitric oxide of the stimulatory effects of ethanol on blood flow.

The contribution of nitric oxide (NO) to the hemodynamic effects associated with alcohol oxidation was assessed in rats given either ethanol or water by gastric tube, with and without pre-treatment with either the NO synthase inhibitor N(omega)-monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA; 15 mg/Kg i.p.) or the alcohol dehydrogenase inhibitor 4-methylpyrazole (4-MP; 82 mg/Kg i.

Ethanol consumption increases nitric oxide production in rats, and its peroxynitrite-mediated toxicity is attenuated by polyenylphosphatidylcholine.

Background: Nitric oxide generally mediates beneficial responses but becomes deleterious when coexistence with enhanced superoxide formation leads to the synthesis of peroxynitrite, a potent oxidant and nitrating agent.

Methods: To study the effects of ethanol and polyenylphosphatidylcholine on nitric oxide metabolism and toxicity, 36 rats were pair-fed liquid diets with 36% of energy either as ethanol or as additional carbohydrate for 24 days and were killed 90 min after intragastric feeding. Half received polyenylphosphatidylcholine in the diet (3 g/liter), and the other half equivalent amounts of essential fatty acids and choline.

Sex difference in alcohol-related organ injury.

This article represents the proceedings of a symposium at the 2000 ISBRA Meeting in Yokohama, Japan. The chairs were Nobuhiro Sato and Kai O. Lindros.

Gender differences in pharmacokinetics of alcohol.

Background: The enhanced vulnerability of women to develop alcohol-related diseases may be due to their higher blood alcohol levels after drinking, but the mechanism for this effect is debated.

Methods: Sixty-five healthy volunteers of both genders drank 0.3 g of ethanol/kg of body weight (as 5%, 10%, or 40% solutions) postprandially.

Dilinoleoylphosphatidylcholine protects human low density lipoproteins against oxidation.

LDL oxidation may promote atherosclerosis. We found that polyenyphosphatidylcholine (PPC), a mixture of polyunsaturated phospholipids extracted from soybeans, has antioxidant effects in in vivo models of oxidative stress. To assess whether components of PPC affect the in vitro oxidizability of LDL, plasma from 15 healthy volunteers was incubated with 10 microM of either dilinoleoyl-, palmitoyl-linoleoyl-, linoleoyl-palmitoyl- or distearoyl-phosphatidylcholine as well as 10 microM and 1 mM alpha-tocopherol.