The sap of Acer okamotoanum decreases serum alcohol levels after acute ethanol ingestion in rats

Int J Mol Med. 2011 Oct;28(4):489-95. doi: 10.3892/ijmm.2011.724. Epub 2011 Jun 17.

Abstract

In the present study, we examined whether Acer okamotoanum (A. okamotoanum) sap decreased the serum alcohol and acetaldehyde levels after acute ethanol treatment in a rat model. Male rats were orally administered 25, 50 or 100% A. okamotoanum sap 30 min prior to oral challenge with 3 ml of ethanol (15 ml/kg of a 20% ethanol solution in water), and the blood concentrations of alcohol and acetaldehyde were analyzed up to 7 h after the treatment. Pre-treatment with the sap significantly decreased the blood ethanol and acetaldehyde concentrations after 5 h when compared with ethanol treatment alone (a negative control). The expression levels of liver alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) mRNA were increased significantly in animals pre-treated with A. okamotoanum sap when compared with negative and positive controls. The data suggest that sap pre-treatment enhanced the alcohol metabolism rate in the rat liver. To investigate the involvement of mitochondrial regulation in the ethanol-induced hepatocyte apoptosis, we carried out an immunohistochemical analysis of Bax and Bcl-2. Pre-treatment with sap significantly decreased Bax expression and increased Bcl-2 expression 7 h after ethanol administration when compared with the negative control. The data suggest that A. okamotoanum sap pre-treatment may reduce the alcohol-induced oxidative stress in the rat liver.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Acer / chemistry*
  • Acetaldehyde / blood
  • Alcohol Dehydrogenase / metabolism
  • Animals
  • Ethanol / blood*
  • Immunohistochemistry
  • Liver / drug effects*
  • Liver / metabolism
  • Male
  • Oxidative Stress / drug effects
  • Plant Exudates / pharmacology*
  • Rats
  • Rats, Sprague-Dawley
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction

Substances

  • Plant Exudates
  • Ethanol
  • Alcohol Dehydrogenase
  • Acetaldehyde