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Characterization and identification of a pyrazole-inducible form of cytochrome P-450.

In vivo administration of the alcohol dehydrogenase inhibitor pyrazole induces a cytochrome P-450 isozyme. The pyrazole-inducible cytochrome P-450 has been purified from rat livers to electrophoretic homogeneity and its biochemical, spectral, and immunological properties characterized. The final preparation had a specific content of 11 nmol of cytochrome P-450/mg of protein. A single band with an apparent molecular weight of 52,000 was observed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The absolute spectrum of the isolated pyrazole cytochrome P-450 displayed peaks at 648 and 396 nm, suggestive of a high spin cytochrome. The ethylisocyanide difference spectrum exhibited two maxima, one at 457 nm, the other at 428 nm. Pyrazole and dimethyl sulfoxide produced binding spectra with the purified P-450, with peaks at 425 or 419 nm and troughs at 390 or 386 nm, respectively. K8 values for dimethyl sulfoxide and pyrazole were 21 and 0.04 mM, respectively. The catalytic activity of the pyrazole cytochrome P-450 was elevated with aniline and dimethylnitrosamine (low Km) but not with aminopyrine, benzphetamine, ethoxycoumarin, or ethoxyresorufin as substrates. An antibody against pyrazole cytochrome P-450 recognized a 52,000 molecular weight protein upon reaction with saline microsomes. The intensity of the immunoblot was increased when microsomes isolated from pyrazole, 4-methylpyrazole-, acetone-, or chronic ethanol-treated rats were utilized, but not after phenobarbital or 3-methylcholanthrene treatment. Homology at the amino terminus of 19 amino acids was observed between pyrazole P-450 and the isoniazid-inducible P-450j. Based upon the above catalytic, spectral, and immunological properties, it appears that pyrazole induces a form of cytochrome P-450 which is identical to that induced by ethanol and isoniazid.

Amino Acids↗

Effect of ethanol on gamma-vinyl GABA-induced GABA accumulation in the substantia nigra and on synaptosomal GABA content in six rat brain regions.

Two recently developed methods for estimating changes in presynaptic gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) homeostasis were used for the first time to evaluate the effects of acute and chronic ethanol treatments on GABA utilization. GABA accumulation in the left substantia nigra zona reticulata (SNR) following unilateral microinjection of gamma-vinyl GABA (GVG; 5 micrograms) was linear for at least 180 min while GABA concentrations in the uninjected right SNR did not change over this period. Net GABA accumulation (left minus right SNR) also increased linearly over this interval. Intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration of ethanol (0.3, 1 or 3 g/kg) 15 min after GVG microinjection did not significantly change either the rate of GABA accumulation in left SNR, the net GABA accumulated or the concentration of GABA in the uninjected right SNR relative to saline injected controls over the 45-min test interval. Likewise, GABA accumulation in the left SNR or steady-state GABA concentrations in the right SNR of chronically intoxicated rats or physically dependent animals withdrawn from ethanol for 12 h did not change significantly from that dextrose-fed controls. In a separate study, the effects of acute and chronic ethanol treatments on the concentration of GABA in synaptosomes isolated from the frontal cortex, hippocampus, tectum, striatum, cerebellum or brainstem were determined. Thirty min after acute treatment with ethanol (0.5, 1, 2 or 4 g/kg, i.p.) the concentration of GABA in synaptosomes from any of these brain regions was not significantly altered. Furthermore, chronic ethanol treatment sufficient to induce physical dependence and a severe ethanol withdrawal syndrome also did not significantly modify synaptosomal GABA concentrations.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Aminocaproates↗

Schedule-induced ethanol self-administration in DBA/2J and C57BL/6J mice.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of these experiments was to provide an initial investigation into ethanol self-administration elicited in the schedule-induced polydipsia (SIP) paradigm. METHODS: Mature male mice were food deprived to between 80 and 85% of their baseline weight and received 20 daily 1 hr SIP test sessions in which a food pellet (20 mg) was delivered on a fixed-time 60 sec schedule. In different groups, the acquisition of drinking 5% (v/v) ethanol solution (experiment 1) or water (experiment 2) was recorded along with other behaviors that occurred in the test chambers. RESULTS: Results indicated that C57BL/6J mice drank significantly more ethanol than DBA/2J mice and that C57 mice achieved blood alcohol concentrations as high as 300 mg/dl. Blood alcohol concentrations were consistently correlated with g/kg ethanol intake. The groups did not differ in consumption of water. SIP test sessions using higher concentrations of ethanol (10-20% v/v, experiment 1) or sucrose solutions (0.1-2% w/v, experiment 2) then were performed. Group differences in ethanol consumption were maintained at all ethanol concentrations. Although DBAs drank more of a low concentration of sucrose (0.1%), when expressed as g/kg, sucrose intake was equivalent in the two strains at all concentrations. Analysis of the time course of drinking clearly showed that this behavior was adjunctive in nature. CONCLUSION: These results demonstrate the effectiveness of this procedure in inducing ethanol self-administration and its utility for investigating the genetic bases of vulnerability toward excessive ethanol consumption.

Animals↗

Genetically engineered Saccharomyces yeast capable of effective cofermentation of glucose and xylose.

Xylose is one of the major fermentable sugars present in cellulosic biomass, second only to glucose. However, Saccharomyces spp., the best sugar-fermenting microorganisms, are not able to metabolize xylose. We developed recombinant plasmids that can transform Saccharomyces spp. into xylose-fermenting yeasts. These plasmids, designated pLNH31, -32, -33, and -34, are 2 microns-based high-copy-number yeast-E. coli shuttle plasmids. In addition to the geneticin resistance and ampicillin resistance genes that serve as dominant selectable markers, these plasmids also contain three xylose-metabolizing genes, a xylose reductase gene, a xylitol dehydrogenase gene (both from Pichia stipitis), and a xylulokinase gene (from Saccharomyces cerevisiae). These xylose-metabolizing genes were also fused to signals controlling gene expression from S. cerevisiae glycolytic genes. Transformation of Saccharomyces sp. strain 1400 with each of these plasmids resulted in the conversion of strain 1400 from a non-xylose-metabolizing yeast to a xylose-metabolizing yeast that can effectively ferment xylose to ethanol and also effectively utilizes xylose for aerobic growth. Furthermore, the resulting recombinant yeasts also have additional extraordinary properties. For example, the synthesis of the xylose-metabolizing enzymes directed by the cloned genes in these recombinant yeasts does not require the presence of xylose for induction, nor is the synthesis repressed by the presence of glucose in the medium. These properties make the recombinant yeasts able to efficiently ferment xylose to ethanol and also able to efficiently coferment glucose and xylose present in the same medium to ethanol simultaneously.

Escherichia coli↗

Conversion of xylose to ethanol by recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae: importance of xylulokinase (XKS1) and oxygen availability.

The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae efficiently ferments hexose sugars to ethanol, but it is unable to utilize xylose, a pentose sugar abundant in lignocellulosic materials. Recombinant strains containing genes coding for xylose reductase (XR) and xylitol dehydrogenase (XDH) from the xylose-utilizing yeast Pichia stipitis have been reported; however, such strains ferment xylose to ethanol poorly. One reason for this may be the low capacity of xylulokinase, the third enzyme in the xylose pathway. To investigate the potential limitation of the xylulokinase step, we have overexpressed the endogenous gene for this enzyme (XKS1) in S. cerevisiae that also expresses the P. stipitis genes for XR and XDH. The metabolism of this recombinant yeast was further investigated in pure xylose bioreactor cultivation at various oxygen levels. The results clearly indicated that overexpression of XKS1 significantly enhances the specific rate of xylose utilization. In addition, the XK-overexpressing strain can more efficiently convert xylose to ethanol under all aeration conditions studied. One of the important illustrations is the significant anaerobic and aerobic xylose conversion to ethanol by the recombinant Saccharomyces; moreover, this was achieved on pure xylose as a carbon. Under microaerobic conditions, 5.4 g L(-1) ethanol was produced from 47 g L(-1) xylose during 100 h. In fed-batch cultivations using a mixture of xylose and glucose as carbon sources, the specific ethanol production rate was highest at the highest aeration rate tested and declined by almost one order of magnitude at lower aeration levels. Intracellular metabolite analyses and in vitro enzyme activities suggest the following: the control of flux in a strain that overexpresses XKS1 has shifted to the nonoxidative steps of the pentose phosphate pathway (i.e., downstream of xylose 5-phosphate), and enzymatic steps in the lower part of glycolysis and ethanol formation pathways (pyruvate kinase, pyruvate decarboxylase, and alcohol dehydrogenase) do not have a high flux control in this recombinant strain. Furthermore, the intracellular ATP levels were found to be significantly lower for the XK strain compared with either the control strain under similar conditions or glucose-grown Saccharomyces. The ATP : ADP ratios were also lower for the XK strain, especially under microaerobic conditions (0.9 vs 6.4).

Aerobiosis↗

Dynamics of NMDAR-mediated neurotoxicity during chronic ethanol exposure and withdrawal.

We have utilized a hippocampal brain slice explant system to assess cellular and synaptic mechanisms underlying the expression of alcohol withdrawal hyperexcitability. Previously, we observed a role for NMDA receptors in the expression of electrographic seizures (EGS) observed immediately upon withdrawal from chronic ethanol exposure in this system. One possible cellular mechanism responsible for these prior results involves NMDAR-mediated neurotoxicity, which was assessed in the present study. Explants were exposed to 35 or 75 mM ethanol for 6 or 12 days and incubated with propidium iodide (PI) to label non-viable cells and then imaged digitally. PI labeling was significantly reduced (36% of control levels) following chronic ethanol exposure (75 mM). When tested following ethanol withdrawal, PI labeling remained significantly reduced in the 75 mM exposed group. We next assessed the effect of an NMDA challenge 24 h following withdrawal. The 35 mM and 75 mM ethanol exposed groups displayed significant 6-fold and 13-fold NMDAR-mediated increases in PI labeling respectively; control explants displayed a 3-fold increase. These data suggest that chronic ethanol exposure prior to withdrawal has a minor neuroprotective effect that slightly diminishes within 24 h of ethanol withdrawal. Furthermore, the data indicate that direct NMDAR activation is required for induction of ethanol withdrawal neurotoxicity.

Alcoholism↗

Specific increase of a mitochondrial RNA transcript in chronic ethanol-fed rats.

An in vitro transcription system utilizing isolated mitochondria has been used to study the effect of chronic ethanol consumption on liver mitochondrial DNA transcription. The results obtained showed an overall increase of RNA synthesis and a dramatic accumulation of a discrete polyadenylated RNA species. This effect is a consequence of the chronic ethanol consumption since these changes do not occur when isolated control mitochondria are incubated in the presence of ethanol.

Alcoholism↗

Alcohol metabolism in Drosophila melanogaster: uselessness of the most active aldehyde oxidase produced by the aldox locus.

Alcohol dehydrogenase is necessary for ethanol detoxification and metabolic utilization. It has been generally assumed that aldehyde oxidase (AO) produced by the Aldox locus (3-56.7) is necessary for a further transformation of acetaldehyde into acetate. We find that various mutant strains (ma-l or Aldoxn) which do not produce an active enzyme show about the same tolerance to alcohol as do wild strains. This physiological paradox is probably to be explained by the discovery of another locus (not localized) which produced a small amount of AO in all tested strains. The adaptive significance of the genetically polymorphic Aldox locus is probably to be looked for in physiological pathways other than ethanol metabolism.

Acetaldehyde↗

Fatty acid ethyl esters in the blood as markers for ethanol intake.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the clinical utility of fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEEs) in the blood as a short-term confirmatory marker for ethanol intake and a longer-term marker for ethanol intake after ethanol is no longer detectable. DESIGN: Single-center controlled clinical trial and a blinded comparison involving 48 blood samples that were positive, negative, or equivocal for blood ethanol. PARTICIPANTS: Seven healthy subjects (4 men and 3 women, aged 21 to 23 years) participated in the clinical trial. Blood samples from participants for the blinded comparison portion of the study were numbered from 1 to 48 and not identified by name. INTERVENTION: The 7 healthy subjects ingested a known amount of ethanol at a fixed rate. The concentration of FAEEs in the blood after ethanol intake was determined for a period of up to 24 hours. There was no intervention in the blinded comparison study. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: In the clinical trial, a pharmacokinetic analysis of FAEE concentration in the blood after ethanol intake was completed for 7 individuals whose blood ethanol level was elevated from 25 to 35 mmol/L. In the blinded comparison, the 48 blood samples that were positive, negative, or equivocal for blood ethanol were analyzed for FAEE concentration. RESULTS: In the clinical trial, the disappearance of FAEEs from the blood followed a decay curve that initially resembled the decay curve for blood ethanol. However, because of a very slow secondary elimination phase, the FAEEs were found to persist in the blood for at least 24 hours after ethanol intake was completed. In the blinded comparison, all 20 samples that were positive for ethanol were positive for FAEEs, 7 of 7 samples equivocal for ethanol were positive for FAEEs, and 21 of 21 negative samples for ethanol were negative for FAEEs. CONCLUSIONS: Serum concentration of FAEEs can serve as an excellent short-term confirmatory test for ethanol intake as well as a longer-term marker of ethanol ingestion. Measurement of FAEEs in the blood may be a more sensitive indicator of ethanol ingestion than the measurement of blood ethanol .

Adult↗

Ethanol metabolism, oxygen availability and alcohol induced liver damage.

The rates of ethanol oxidation in various species are linked to the rates of general metabolism, and more specifically that of O2 utilization by the liver. After chronic ethanol administration, increased oxidation of ethanol is accompanied by increased total hepatic O2 utilization, as studied in the whole animal, the perfused liver, and isolated liver slices. The correlation is particularly striking in the spontaneously hypertensive rat. This linkage makes the liver of the chronically ethanol-consuming rat abnormally vulnerable to hypoxic damage. Exposure to 5% oxygen atmosphere for 6 hours produced major elevations of SGOT and SOCT activities and marked centrilobular necrosis, in alcohol-treated animals but not in controls. The same differential susceptibility was found to acute anemia produced by bleeding. The possible relation of these findings to alcoholic liver damage in humans is discussed.

Alcoholism↗

Effects of phenylalanine analogues on renal tubular reabsorption of amino acids in the rat.

1. A method is described for the serial determination of renal tubular reabsorption of amino acids in the ethanol-anaesthetized rat. It utilizes intravenous radio-labelled inulins, automated amino acid analysis and forced diuresis. 2. Intravenous loading with phenylalanine and infusion of phenylalanine analogues in this preparation decrease reabsorption of endogenous amino acids in accordance with existing concepts of amino acid transport. 3. Maximal tubular reabsorption (Tmax) could not be demonstrated for phenylalanine at plasma concentration below 9 mmol/l. 4. Infusion of phenylalanine analogues into phenylalanine-loaded ('phenylketonuric') rats did not specifically inhibit tubular reabsorption of phenylalanine and it is unlikely that any of the substances tested have a potential therapeutic use in man. 5. p-Guanidino derivatives of phenylalanine, in contrast to p-amino derivatives, appear to cause a dose-related basic aminoaciduria. 6. Consideration of urinary flow rates and sodium excretion suggests that the ethanol anesthesia does not modify amino acid reabsorption through effects on sodium transport or antidiuretic hormone.

Absorption↗

Formation of 4-hydroxynonenal adducts with cytochrome c oxidase in rats following short-term ethanol intake.

This study addresses the role of the lipid peroxidation product, 4-hydroxynonenal (HNE), in ethanol-related damage of cytochrome c oxidase (COX) in vivo. It utilizes an animal model with acute ethanol exposure in which HNE levels in liver mitochondria are strikingly increased. Pregnant female Sprague-Dawley rats were administered 5 doses of ethanol (4 gm/kg, po at 12-hour intervals) beginning on day 17 of gestation and were sacrificed on day 19. Controls were pair-fed and received dextrose isocaloric to ethanol. Mitochondria were isolated from maternal and fetal livers and COX activities were measured spectrophotometrically. Compared with the pair-fed controls, COX activity was decreased with exposure to ethanol by 25% in maternal rats and 43% in fetal rats (P<.05). Western Blot with an HNE-Histidine antibody showed enhanced formation of HNE adducts with COX from ethanol-exposed rats, which was more pronounced in fetal than in adult livers. The HNE adducts were mainly with subunit IV of COX. The cause and effect relationship between HNE adduct formation and COX inhibition was examined in vitro by incubating purified COX with HNE. COX inhibition was accompanied by concentration-dependent HNE adduct formation that was consistent with those found in in vivo ethanol-exposed samples. These results suggest that the ethanol-related decreases in COX activity found in liver mitochondria could be attributable to HNE adduct formation with the enzyme complex. This could be an important mechanism by which modification of proteins occur in in vivo oxidative stress.

Alcoholic Intoxication↗

Desulfovibrio zosterae sp. nov., a new sulfate reducer isolated from surface-sterilized roots of the seagrass Zostera marina.

A sulfate-reducing bacterium, designated strain lacT, was isolated from surface-sterilized roots of the benthic macrophyte Zostera marina. Cells were motile by means of a single polar flagellum. Strain lacT utilized lactate, pyruvate, malate, ethanol, L-alanine, fumarate, choline and fructose with sulfate as electron acceptor. In addition, fumarate, pyruvate and fructose were also degraded without an external electron acceptor. Sulfate could be substituted with thiosulfate, sulfite and elemental sulfur. Optimal growth was observed between 32.5 and 34.5 degrees C, at an NaCl concentration of 0.2 M and in a pH range between 6.8 and 7.3. The G + C content of the DNA was 42.7 +/- 0.2 mol%. Desulfoviridin and catalase were present. Strain lacT contained c-type cytochromes. Comparative 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis and the fatty acid pattern grouped this isolate into the genus Desulfovibrio. However, strain lacT differs from all other described Desulfovibrio species on the bases of its 16S rRNA gene sequence, the G + C content, its cellular lipid pattern and the utilization pattern of substrates. These characteristics establish strain lacT (= DSM 11974T) as a novel species of the genus Desulfovibrio, for which the name Desulfovibrio zosterae sp. nov. is proposed.

Base Composition↗

Effect of nitrogen sources on oxidoreductive enzymes and ethanol production during D-xylose fermentation by Candida shehatae.

The effect on D-xylose utilization and the corresponding xylitol and ethanol production by Candida shehatae (ATCC 22984) were examined with different nitrogen sources. These included organic (urea, asparagine, and peptone) and inorganic (ammonium chloride, ammonium nitrate, ammonium sulphate, and potassium nitrate) sources. Candida shehatae did not grow on potassium nitrate. Improved ethanol production (Y(p/s), yield coefficient (grams product/grams substrate), 0.34) was observed when organic nitrogen sources were used. Correspondingly, the xylitol production was also higher with organic sources. Ammonium sulphate showed the highest ethanol:xylitol ratio (11.0) among all the nitrogen sources tested. The ratio of NADH- to NADPH-linked D-xylose reductase (EC 1.1.1.21) appeared to be rate limiting during ethanologenesis of D-xylose. The levels of xylitol dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.9) were also elevated in the presence of organic nitrogen sources. These results may be useful in the optimization of alcohol production by C. shehatae during continuous fermentation of D-xylose.

Aldehyde Reductase↗

Anaerobic xylose fermentation by recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae carrying XYL1, XYL2, and XKS1 in mineral medium chemostat cultures.

For ethanol production from lignocellulose, the fermentation of xylose is an economic necessity. Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been metabolically engineered with a xylose-utilizing pathway. However, the high ethanol yield and productivity seen with glucose have not yet been achieved. To quantitatively analyze metabolic fluxes in recombinant S. cerevisiae during metabolism of xylose-glucose mixtures, we constructed a stable xylose-utilizing recombinant strain, TMB 3001. The XYL1 and XYL2 genes from Pichia stipitis, encoding xylose reductase (XR) and xylitol dehydrogenase (XDH), respectively, and the endogenous XKS1 gene, encoding xylulokinase (XK), under control of the PGK1 promoter were integrated into the chromosomal HIS3 locus of S. cerevisiae CEN.PK 113-7A. The strain expressed XR, XDH, and XK activities of 0.4 to 0.5, 2.7 to 3.4, and 1.5 to 1.7 U/mg, respectively, and was stable for more than 40 generations in continuous fermentations. Anaerobic ethanol formation from xylose by recombinant S. cerevisiae was demonstrated for the first time. However, the strain grew on xylose only in the presence of oxygen. Ethanol yields of 0.45 to 0.50 mmol of C/mmol of C (0.35 to 0.38 g/g) and productivities of 9.7 to 13.2 mmol of C h(-1) g (dry weight) of cells(-1) (0.24 to 0.30 g h(-1) g [dry weight] of cells(-1)) were obtained from xylose-glucose mixtures in anaerobic chemostat cultures, with a dilution rate of 0.06 h(-1). The anaerobic ethanol yield on xylose was estimated at 0.27 mol of C/(mol of C of xylose) (0.21 g/g), assuming a constant ethanol yield on glucose. The xylose uptake rate increased with increasing xylose concentration in the feed, from 3.3 mmol of C h(-1) g (dry weight) of cells(-1) when the xylose-to-glucose ratio in the feed was 1:3 to 6.8 mmol of C h(-1) g (dry weight) of cells(-1) when the feed ratio was 3:1. With a feed content of 15 g of xylose/liter and 5 g of glucose/liter, the xylose flux was 2.2 times lower than the glucose flux, indicating that transport limits the xylose flux.

Anaerobiosis↗

Ethanol, acetaldehyde, and myocardial protein synthesis.

The cause of alcoholic myocardiopathy is unknown. The effects of acute exposure to ethanol or its metabolite acetaldehyde on protein synthesis in working, intact, guinea pig hearts in vitro were studied utilizing lysine-(14)C perfusion. Ethanol at 250 mg/100 ml, a level sufficient to markedly inhibit hepatic production of albumin, did not alter cardiac function, the equilibration of the intracellular free lysine pool in either ventricle, or the incorporation of lysine-(14)C into protein. Thus, in controls and ethanol-perfused hearts, the incorporation of lysine in 3 hr was 44.1+/-1.5 and 42.8+/-1.2 mumoles lysine/g protein N for the right ventricles and 25.6+/-1.0 and 24.3+/-0.8 for the left ventricles, respectively. Only at lethal levels, 1500 mg/100 ml ethanol, was protein synthesis depressed. Acetaldehyde 3.5 mg/100 ml (0.8 mM) effected a markedly positive chronotropic and inotropic effect on the perfused heart and slightly depressed equilibration of the intracellular free lysine pool. However, determinations of protein incorporation of lysine-(14)C based on intracellular lysine-(14)C specific activities showed a significant decrease from control right and left ventricle values, to 27.1+/-2.8 and 14.9+/-1.9. Propanalol, which abolished the chronotropic effect, did not prevent the inhibition of protein synthesis. The studies suggest that acetaldehyde, which inhibits cardiac protein synthesis in vitro, may play a role in alcoholic myocardiopathy by interfering with normal myocardial protein synthesis.

Acetaldehyde↗

Effect of chronic ethanol exposure on the electric membrane properties of DRG neurons in cell culture.

Neural cell cultures of adult mouse dorsal root ganglia were utilized to investigate the effects of chronic ethanol exposure on neuronal electric membrane properties (EMP). After 12 days of exposure to various ethanol concentrations, the EMP of the neurons were determined in ethanol-free medium. Significant changes in a number of EMP were observed. Of particular physiological significance were decreased specific membrane resistance, increased specific membrane capacitance, relatively little change in membrane time constant, and increased electrical excitability. Various features of the action potential were also affected, e.g., reduced overshoot, afterhyperpolarization, and rate of rise. In preliminary experiments, EMP were determined at varying periods after the cultures had been withdrawn from ethanol medium and maintained in ethanol-free medium. These results indicated that the altered EMP persisted as long as one (Cm) to two (Rm) weeks after ethanol withdrawal. A possible mechanism for these ethanol-induced changes in EMP was suggested, utilizing the membrane expansion theory of anesthesia. Because of few previous reports demonstrating significant electrophysiological effects of ethanol at pharmacological concentrations, the neural cell culture system provides a useful new experimental model for studying the action of chronic ethanol exposure on neuronal EMP and the physical basis of the tolerance and withdrawal phenomena found in alcoholism and addiction in general. After being maintained for 12 days in culture media containing various concentrations of ethanol, non-neuronal cell survival was observed to have decreased in an approximately linear manner with increasing ethanol levels. By contrast, neuron survival was not affected until ethanol concentrations greater than 0.34 g % were used. This decreased cell survival due to chronic exposure to physiological levels of ethanol has not been reported previously. Neural cell cultures may therefore be useful for investigating the cellular pathology of chronic alcoholism and fetal alcohol syndrome.

Animals↗