Effects of chronic ethanol feeding and thiamin deficiency on antioxidant defenses in kidney and lung of rats

The effects of a long-term ethanol consumption and thiamin deficiency on the antioxidant defense systems of the kidney and lung were studied in 32 male Sprague-Dawley rats. They were divided into four groups: Control, Ethanol (EtOH), Thiamin-Deficient (TD), and EtOH/TD. Rats in the EtOH and EtOH/TD groups received 20% ethanol in the drinking water, while rats in the TD and EtOH/TD groups received three bouts of the TD diet in order to mimic human behavior of binge drinking. The rats were sacrificed after 30 weeks, and the kidney and lung were excised for biochemical determinations. The results demonstrated that GSH levels and SOD activity were suppressed in both tissues, and catalase and GPx activities in the kidney was increased by EtOH or EtOH/TD diet when compared to the control. The results suggest that long-term ingestion of EtOH, but not mild thiamin deficiency, moderately increases the susceptibility of the kidney and lung to oxidative stress. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.