Abstract
Changes in blood levels and excretion rate of adrenal steroid hormones following acute and chronic alcohol administration have been demonstrated in man and animals. Since it has been shown that alcohol feeding affects the activity of certain microsomal enzymes in the liver it was considered of interest to study the effect of alcohol ingestion on microsomal 4en-5α-steroid-reductase, a key enzyme in steroid inactivation in the liver. Alcohol administration (35–40% of total calories over a period of 9 days) increases microsomal Cortisol 4en-5α-reductase activity in rat liver distinctly. Cortisol 4en-5α-reductase activity is markedly reduced in rats fed an isocaloric, low protein diet; however, the induction by alcohol feeding is also observed in these animals. Phenobarbital administration (80 mg/kg × day) increases 4en-5α-reduction of cortisol markedly. In phenobarbital-treated rats, however, alcohol has no additional effect on the activity of this enzyme. The activity of 4en-5α-reduction of other steroid hormones (cortisone, corticosterone, androstendione, testosterone and progesterone) was also stimulated by alcohol feeding in rats fed a standard diet. It is assumed that the increased activity in microsomal 4en-5α-reductase activity in rat liver is mainly an adaptive response to a stimulation of adrenocortical activity caused by alcohol administration.
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