BACKGROUND: Around the world more and more people suffer from acute alcoholism. The purpose of this study was to determine hepatic enzymes and oxidation/antioxidation in rats with acute alcoholism.
METHODS: Rats were randomly divided into three groups: control, low-dose alcohol, and high-dose alcohol. Each alcohol group (n=12) was intravenously infused with ethanol at a dose of 0.3 or 0.7 g/kg body weight respectively. The control group (n=11) was intravenously infused with normal saline at a dose of 0.5 g/kg body weight. Blood was collected for detection of hepatic enzymes and index of oxidation/antioxidation.
RESULTS: The ratio of AST to ALT was 2.44±0.46, 2.57±0.60 and 3.03±0.46 in the three groups, and the difference was significant between the control and high-dose alcohol groups (P≤0.05). No significant changes were observed in the levels of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), total protein (Tp), albumin (Alb), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), cholinesterase (ChE), total bilirubin (TB), C-reactive protein (CRP) and amylase. The levels of serum nitric oxide (NO) in the 3 groups were 39.2±73.25 mol/L, 42.30±4.60 mol/L and 47.86±4.66 mol/L, and significant difference was seen between the control group and the high-dose alcohol group (P<0.01). No significant difference was found in the levels of serum superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione (GSH), malondiethylaldehyde (MDA), and CRP in the 3 groups.
CONCLUSION:  The ratio of AST to ALT appears to be a useful index for acute alcohol intoxication. NO is involved in the mechanism of acute alcohol intoxication.