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