THE INFLUENCE OF CHRONIC ETHANOL ADMINISTRATION ON ADRIAMYCIN-INDUCED NEPHROTIC SYNDROME IN RATS

Alcoholic liver disease may be frequently complicated by mesangialproliferation with the deposition of IgA in glomeruli and glomeruloscierosis,but these glomerular lesions are usually mild and without greaterimpact on renal function. To evaluate the putative role of ethanolin glomerular pathology we studied the influence of chronicethanol administration on the development of experimental adriamycinnephropathy in rats. Nephrotic syndrome was induced by a singlei.v. dose of adriamycin (5 mg/kg body wt) both in rats givenethanol at a dose of 4 g/day for 3 months and control rats givenstandard chow. Further controls on both diets without adriamycinadministration were also studied. Blood and urine were examinedbefore and 3 and 6 weeks after adriamycin administration. Allrats were killed and examined histologically 6 weeks after adriamycinadministration. Ethanol fed nephrotic rats were more catabolicthan control nephrotic rats (with higher free fatty acids, lowerglycaemia, higher urea with similar creatinine) and had lowerproteinuria (0.55 ± 0.34 versus 5.79 ± 3.15 gof protein/mmol of creatinine, P<0.05), higher albuminaemia(5.41 ± 2.62 versus 1.92 ± 1.94 g/l, P<0.01),lower plasma cholesterol (6.54 ± 2.6 versus 10.57 ±2.92 mmol/l. P<0.01) and triglycerides. The development ofnephrotic syndrome and renal morphological changes after adriamycinadministration in rats seemed to be ameliorated, or at leastdelayed by chronic ethanol feeding with much milder and focalglomerulosclerosis as compared with more severe and diffuseglomerulosclerosis in control nephrotic animals. The mechanismof this effect of chronic ethanol feeding remains to be elucidated.Metabolic, immunosuppressive and pharmacological effects ofethanol should be taken into consideration.