Effects of prolonged ethanol consumption on hepatic lipids and hepatotoxicity in c57bl/6 female mice

Mice consume high levels of alcohol for a short period of time resulting in increased toxicity and lethality. The effects of lower doses that could be consumed without death for prolonged periods were studied. The effects of moderate doses of ethanol on indices of lipid peroxidation (LP), liver lipid accumulation and hepatotoxicity were studied in C57BL/6 mice. Three groups of mice were fed diets in which ethanol provided 0, 25 or 30% of the total calories for 3, 7, 10 and 13 weeks. Increased hepatic cholesterol, phospholipid and triglycerides, indicative of changes in liver lipid metabolism; and increased levels of hepatic malondialdehyde, conjugated dienes, lipid fluorescence, serum alanine aminotransferase and minimal changes in liver architecture indicative of LP and liver damages, were observed in mice fed the alcoholic diets. Such increases were time and dose dependent. These results suggest that continuous ingestion of lower levels of dietary ethanol in mice produces biochemical and hepatotoxic responses which are indicative of the health risk often associated with high alcohol intake.