Effects of ethanol and propylthiouracil on hepatic iron and copper contents in the male albino mouse

• Published in: Drug and alcohol dependence 1989-12, Vol.24 (3), p.261-263
• Main Authors: Gonzálex-Reimers, E., Santolaria-Fernández, F., Hernández-Torres, O., Castro-Alemán, V., Galindo-Martín, L., Rodríguez-Moreno, F., Ferres-Torres, R.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: alcoholism; Alcoholism - metabolism; Alcoholism and acute alcohol poisoning; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; copper; Copper - analysis; Ethanol - pharmacology; iron; Iron - analysis; Liver - metabolism; Male; Medical sciences; Mice; propylthiouracil; Propylthiouracil - pharmacology; Toxicology
• ISSN: 0376-8716; 1879-0046
• DOI: 10.1016/0376-8716(89)90065-3

With the aim to analyze whether propylthiouracil (PTU) alters ethanol-induced changes in liver iron and copper contents, 40 male albino mice were equally divided into a control group, an ethanol-treated group, a PTU-treated group and an ethanol + PTU-treated group. Twenty animals were killed at the age of 85 days and 20 at the age of 180 days. Liver iron and copper contents showed a progressive, statistically non-significant increase both in the controls and in ethanol-treated animals. Liver iron contents was significantly higher in the 180-day-old alcoholic mice as compared with controls. Animals treated either with PTU or with PTU + ethanol showed liver iron levels in the normal range, markedly different from the ethanol-treated animals ( P < 0.005). Liver copper content of the ethanol-treated animals was higher (but not significantly) than that of the controls. Liver copper levels of the PTU + ethanol-treated animals were in the range of the ethanol-treated animals. Thus, PTU seems to revert an overload of ethanol mediated iron of copper.