Region distribution of the gangliosides in rat brain after chronic ethanol treatment

In this study the effects of chronic ethanol administration on the regional distribution of brain gangliosides were investigated. A total of 36 60-d-old male Wistar rats weighing approximately 200 g was divided into two groups of 18 animals each. The ethanol-consuming group was offered drinking fluid (25% sucrose-32% ethyl alcohol, w/w) ad libitum, and the control group was given a sucrose solution isocaloric with the ethanol-sucrose solution. After 6 mo of chronic ethanol treatment, cerebral cortex, N. caudatus, hypothalamus, thalamus, and hippocampus were analyzed with respect to their ganglioside pattern (G_M2, G_M1, G_D1a, G_D1b, G_T1b, and G_Q). The results showed that there were highly significant effects of ethanol on hypothalamus G_D1b and G_T1b, thalamus G_M1 and G_D1a, and hippocampus G_M1, G_D1b, and G_T1b ganglioside distribution. It was found that ethanol differently affected the gangliosides in these brain regions.