The effect of ethanol metabolism on the energetic pammekm and intredlular pH of the isolated perhued rat liver fkam fed nts was studied by phoaphorw5-31 nIIc1Bv mrqpsLlc mnance spectmmopy. This technique dhwed us to analyze nonde&ructively and in real thte tb role of low oxygen tension on the poseible hjurkmm d&ct of ethanol on the liver cello.
A qmstitative mt&& of nuclear magnetic resonance data lvQorded on a perfused rat liver w i t h a 30 mm diamabr probe baa been performed at 80.9 M&. Under nemoxic and nonnotbrmic conditions, the levels of phaphuyWed mshbolltee detected by nuclear magn d c mamsnce were 8.8,0.3 and 2 pmoles per gm liver wet weight for ATP, ADP and inorganic orthophosplmte, w d y . The cytoeolic pH was 7.26 f 0.05. Dmhg a ~r b d of 4 min of hypoxia induced by reducing t b I#rftwton flow rate to 26% of its initial value (i.e., frem I t mlto3 mlper min per 100 gmbody weight), tbe leva of ATP drapped to 2.2 pmolem per gm liver wet weight. Comomhntly, ADP and inorganic orthophoe-Pk#%-to 0.6 and 3.3 pmolem per gm liver wet wei&&. C y t a d i c p H fell to 7.02 f 0.05. Pdudondtlelivewwithagrebsmediumcontaining 70 d f (0.4%) sthand induced a sharp decreaae in intradhdar inorgamic orthophosphate to remch 1.3 pmole perm liver we4 weight and after a lag time of 4 to 6 min, a decreem in ATP level (2.15 pmoles per g m liver wet weight). A luge increaee in phosphomoroesters (mainly m-glycerol3-phoephate) up to 6 pmolea per gm liver we& we&t was also observed. No significant cytarolic plS v m n WM noted after 20 min of ethanol Dslrppaer (pH 7.80 f 0.06).
In the preseaee of 70 arM euwol, a 4-mh period of hypoxia c a d pronounced in partkmh, the level of ATP dropped to 1.15 @ psr gm h e r wet weight, and a large in6radlular addodm oemrred @€I 43.80 f 0.06). Ethanol oxidation ddmghypoxiairrrbcormlatedtoadramaticincreaae in the cytadic content of an-glycerol 3-phocrphnte, as compared to the level found under normosic ethanol e.
Data pnwented here indicate that ethanol hepatotox-