QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Smith, D. J. Articles by Schalch, D. S. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Smith, D. J. Articles by Schalch, D. S.

Ethanol-Fed Sprague-Dawley Rats Maintain Normal Levels of Insulin-like Growth Factor I^1,2,

Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53792

Ethanol-fed rats do not gain weight as fast as their isoenergetically pair-fed controls; the reasons for this slower rate of growth remain uncertain. Insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) is a major component of the growth-promoting endocrine system. To determine whether ethanol impairs growth by interfering with this component of the endocrine system, rats were pair-fed ethanol-containing and control liquid diets. When rats were meal-fed on the day before the experiment there were no differences in serum IGF-I concentrations or hepatic IGF-I mRNA levels between ethanol-fed and control animals after 2, 3 or 4 wk. These results indicate that ethanol consumption per se does not interfere with IGF-I production and that energy derived from ethanol sustains this component of the growth-promoting endocrine system as well as carbohydrate energy. The schedule used to administer the diets, however, did have a significant effect on hepatic IGF-I mRNA levels. When after 4 wk of dietary treatment rats were not meal-fed but received their entire dietary ration in a single morning feeding on the day before the experiment, the ethanolfed animals had significantly higher hepatic IGF-I mRNA levels than their pair-fed controls. This finding indicates that these animals are nutritionally dissimilar despite isoenergetic pair-feeding.

KEY WORDS: • ethanol • rats • insulin-like growth factor I

¹ Supported in part by National Institutes of Health grant R29 DK38883 and a grant from the University of Wisconsin Graduate School.

² These data were previously presented in abstract form: Smith, D. J., Yang, H., Scheff, A., Ploch, S. A. & Schalch, D. S. (1989) Ethanol-fed rats and pair-fed controls have similar levels of serum IGF-I and hepatic IGF-I mRNA indicating that their nutritional states are similar. Hepatology 10: 705 (abs.).

³ To whom correspondence should be addressed.

Manuscript received 22 February 1991. Revision accepted 31 July 1991.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				K. W. Singletary and S. M. Gapstur Alcohol and Breast Cancer: Review of Epidemiologic and Experimental Evidence and Potential Mechanisms JAMA, November 7, 2001; 286(17): 2143 - 2151. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]