Chronic-Binge Ethanol Drinking Exacerbates Liver Damage through Oxidative/Nitrosative Stress

Korean J Leg Med. 2011 May;35(1):16-21. English.

Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Catholic Medical Center, Seoul, Korea

Department of Forensic Medicine and Institute of Forensic Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. yoosh@snu.ac.kr

Chronic binge alcohol drinking is a major cause of liver disease including steatosis, chronic hepatitis, and liver cirrhosis. The purpose of this study is to examine the change of oxidative/nitrosative stress in the chronic-binge ethanol model. Using wildtype (WT) mice, we show that chronic binge alcohol drinking develops steatosis and apoptotic cells. Furthermore, the activities of anti-oxidant and mitochondrial enzymes including catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) were decreased in chronic binge alcohol-treated mice. Protein nitration was also increased in a chronic-binge group compared to pair-fed control counterpart. These findings suggest that chronic binge alcohol drinking plays a critical role in hepatic injury through oxidative/nitrosative stress.

Key words : alcohol, oxidative stress, steatosis

Original article