Effect of acute alcohol intoxication on steroid output of rat adrenals in vitro

¹ Department of Pharmacology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Ethyl alcohol, 2 g/kg in 20% solution, was given to rats by gavage and the adrenals were removed 1 1/2 hr later and incubated in vitro. Their corticosteroid production was not significantly different from that of glands from water-treated or untreated controls. However, when this dose of alcohol was administered by intraperitoneal injection, a significant elevation in adrenal steroid output was observed. Increasing the dose of alcohol to 4 g/kg by stomach tube also evoked an increased adrenocortical response, but when this total dose was divided into two spaced doses, each one of 2 g/kg by stomach tube, 1 1/2 hr apart, no significant alteration in adrenocortical production was observed, despite higher blood alcohol levels and equally deep intoxication. Thus, although the blood alcohol level attained may influence the activity of the adrenal cortex, the rate of change in blood and tissue alcohol levels also seems to be a significant factor in determining whether adrenal cortical stimulation will occur. None of the treatments appeared to modify the relative proportions of the various steroids released.