Hepatic and cerebral energy production system in rats with acute and chronic ethanol intoxication.

ABSTRACT

We studied the effects of ethanol on the energy production system in the brain and liver in acute and chronic intoxications. Ethanol was found to inhibit mitochondrial respiratory chain in the liver. Acute ethanol intoxication results in uncoupling of oxidative phosphorylation. NAD-dependent respiration prevails in chronic intoxication. In the brain, ethanol exposure induces a compensated low-energy shift with activation of fast mitochondrial metabolic cluster and uncoupling of oxidative phosphorylation.