Molecular Mechanisms of Alcohol, 1989 Neurobiology and Metabolism Experimental Biology and Medicine Series, Vol. 21

Alcohol abuse throughout the world is associated with serious social and medical implications. Problems such as intoxication, tol­ erance, and development of physical dependence have been well recognized. The central nervous system and the liver are especially affected. There is little doubt that alcohol abuse can result in organ damage, which in turn leads to deleterious health consequences to the individual. Understanding ethanol action presents a special and functional diver­ challenge because of its molecular simplicity sity. In fact, the ability for alcohol to disrupt cellular function is at­ tributed to its cellular injury without regard to an apparent specific mechanism of action. Nevertheless, the key to an effective treatment to this problem is through research into understanding the mechan­ isms underlying how ethanol interacts with cells and membranes. This book is the result of a cooperative effort among scientists from many nations who met in a symposium in Taipei, Taiwan, ROC, July 1988. The focus of this book is on experimental ap­ proaches to better understand the molecular mechanisms of ethanol on the biological system. These recent advances in the examination of the alcohol effects on cellular function are divided into four sec­ tions. The first section addresses specific actions of ethanol on the central nervous system. The second section is directed to the use of cell cuI tures in ethanol research and the usefulness of cell cultures in examination of the effects of ethanol in vitro.

I. Ethanol Action on Neurochemical Mechanisms.- Specific Action of Ethanol on Lateral and Vertical Membrane Lipid Domains.- Effects of Acute and Chronic Ethanol Administration on Metabolism of Brain Acidic Phospholipids.- Effects of Ethanol on Receptors Coupled to Phosphoinositide Hydrolysis in Brain.- The Effects of Ethanol on Synaptic Membrane Calcium Transporting Systems.- Depolarization-Dependent Poly-Phosphoinositide Hydrolysis in Brain Is Inhibited by Ethanol in Vitro.- Glutamic Acid Synaptic Activity Is a Target of Acute and Chronic Ethanol Effects in the Mammalian Brain.- Effect of Ethanol Administration on the Phosphorylation of a 43KDa Synaptosomal Protein.- Ethanol Alters Monoamine Content in Different Brain Regions of Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats.- Synthesis of Fatty Acid Ethyl Esters by Brain Membranes.- Vasopressin and Ethanol Tolerance: Postulated Mechanism for Neuroadaptation.- Serotonergic Mechanisms in Alcohol Intake.- Mechanisms of Central Nervous System Alcohol-Related Birth Defects.- II. Ethanol and Cell Culture.- Prenatal Ethanol Studies on Astrocytes.- Cell Cultures as a Model for Alcohol Research.- Ethanol and Bradykinin-Stimulated Phosphoinositide Hydrolysis in NG108–15 Neuroblastoma-Glioma Cells.- Effect of Lipid Peroxidation on Glucose Transport in Astrocytes: Potentiation by Ethanol.- III. Ethanol Effects on Metabolism.- Genetic Polymorphism and Properties of Human Alcohol and Aldehyde Dehydrogenases: Implications for Ethanol Metabolism and Toxicity.- Population Differences in ALDH Levels and Flushing Response.- Spin Trapping Studies of the Influence of Alcohol on Lipid Peroxidation.- Comparative Study on Biochemical Effects of Alcohols on Rat Liver Mitochondrial Respiration and Oxidative Phosphorylation.- Increases in HepaticGammaglutamyl Transferase Following Alcohol Consumption: A Hepatoprotective Rather than a Pathogenic Role.- Effects of Chronic Ethanol and Fish Oil on Plasma and Liver Lipids and Plasma Apoproteins.- Effects of Ethanol on Contractility and Membrane Currents of Cardiac Tissue.- Effect of Acute Ethanol on Membrane Transport of Folate.- Alcoholism: A Low-Risk Disorder for Chinese? Community Surveys in Taiwan.- IV. Animal Models for Alcohol Research.- Mechanism(s) of Modulation of Alcohol Consumption: Studies on the P and NP Rats.- Miniature Swine as an Animal Model for Alcohol Research.