Influence of ethanol on hepatic glutathione content and on the activity of glutathione S-transferases and epoxide hydrase in the rat. Drug Metab Disp

Chronic ethanol administration to female rats for 3 weeks was associated with a 60 % increase in liver microsomal cytochrome P-450 content. This effect was accompanied by a similar increase in microsomal epoxide hydrase activity, in the presence of styrene oxide, and by significant increases in liver glutathione concentration and cytosolic glutathione S-transferase activities. A time-course study showed that the elevation of liver glutathione concentration seen after 3 weeks of ethanol consumption was a transient phenom-enon, not observed after prolonged (23 weeks) ethanol intake and preceded, in the first 10-1 2 days of ethanol administration, by a decrease below control levels. The latter occurred at a time when the cytochrome P450 content and the activity of glutathione S. transferases reached maximal Increases to levels twice as high as those seen from 3 to 23 weeks of ethanol consumption. These observations show that chronic ethanol consumption may thu