Nutntmn Research, Vol. 20. No. I I, pp 1547-1.555, 2000 Coovrieht 0 2000 Elsewer Scm~e Inc. f’ritedum the USA All rtghts reserved 027 I-5317/00/$-see front rnattcr ELSEVIER PII:SO271-5317(00)00239-6 EFFECTS OF CHRONIC WINE AND ALCOHOL INTAKE ON GLUTATHIONE AND MALONDIALDEHYDE LEVELS IN RATS ROSER ROIG, ESTHER CASCdN, LLUIS AROLA, Ph.D., CINTA BLADE, Ph.D., and M. JOSEPA SALVADO, Ph.D. Departament de Bioquimica i Biotecnologia. Unitat d’Enologia del Centre de Referencia en Tecnologia dels Aliments de la Generalitat de Catalunya. Universitat Rovira i Virgili. Imperial Tarraco, 1. 43005 Tarragona. Spain. ABSTRACT Plasma, liver and kidney malondialdehyde (MDA) and liver and kidney glutathione levels were determined to evaluate the effect of the chronic intake of wine or alcohol on oxidative metabolism. Wistar rats were treated in separate groups as follows: control (standard diet and water); sweet wine (the same diet plus sweet wine) and a hydroalcoholic solution equivalent to sweet wine (20% ethanol + 130 g/L glucose + fructose) for 6 months. The consumption of alcoholic beverages was free because the rat could always choose between alcoholic beverage and water. In liver, alcohol ingestion resulted in higher MDA levels but this did not occur in kidney or plasma. Moreover, the reduced glutathione/oxidized glutathione ratio was lower in liver after 6 months of wine or alcohol consumption, but in kidney this ratio was only lower in the case of wine. This study shows that the quantity of phenolic compounds in this sweet wine does not counteract alcohol-induced hepatic oxidation caused by chronic and high consumptron. r~ 2000 ~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ lnc Key Words: Lipid peroxidation; Glutathione; Wine; Alcohol; Rats. INTRODUCTION There has been much evidence over the last twenty years that a moderate consumption of ethanol is beneficial because it reduces the risk of coronary heart disease (1). The protective effect of alcohol on the vascular system may be due to the effects of ethanol on lipid metabolism, which increases HDL cholesterol (2,3), produces a similarly favourable effect on apolipoproteins, and has an antithrombotic action (4,5). It has also been suggested that moderate wine consumption has a health protective effect on people (6-8). Studies of total human mortality have yielded a U-shaped curve of mortality against alcohol consumption. Ingestion of moderate amounts of alcohol is linked to lower total mortality rates than either total abstinence or greater consumption (9-l 1). Also, epidemiological studies (12-14) have led to the definition of what is known Address for correspondence: M.J. Salvadb. Deparlament de Bioquimica i Biotecnologia. Universitat Rovira i Virgili. Imperial Tarraco, 1. 43005 Tarragona, Spain. Tel. 34-977559567. Fax 34-977 55 82 32. E-mail: jsrQastor.urv.es 1547