Immunohistochemical localization of alcohol dehydrogenase in human kidney, endocrine organs and brain

Antibodies against human liver alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) were produced in rabbits. Peroxidase-labeled protein-A with diaminobenzidine as substrate was used to detect anti-ADH binding in human tissue thin sections. In the kidney, ADH was localized in the epithelia of the tubuli; glomeruli and collecting tubules appeared negative. In prostata and epididymis, the epithelia stained strongly. In the testes, the seminiferous epithelium and the Leydig cells stained strongly. In the ovary and uterus only faint staining was observed. The ADH-content of the adrenal gland was low, but was higher in the cortex than in the medulla. In the pancreas, the Langerhans islets exhibited particularly high ADH concentrations. In the brain, ADH was localized in neurons of the cerebral cortex, hypothalamus, infundibular stalk of the pituitary, and Purkinje cells of the cerebellum. In summary, ADH could be localized primarily in cells known as targets of ethanol toxicity.