The decaying fruit in which Drosophila melanogaster feed and breed can contain ethanol in concentrations as high as 6-7%. In this cosmopolitan species, populations from temperate regions are consistently more resistant to ethanol poisoning than populations from the tropics, but little is known about the physiological basis of this difference. I show that when exposed to low levels of ethanol va...

Ethanol stimulated the leakage of amino acids and 260-nm-light-absorbing compounds from cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The efflux followed first-order kinetics over an initial period. In the presence of lethal concentrations of ethanol, the efflux rates at 30 and 36 degrees C were an exponential function of ethanol concentration: k(e) = k(e)e, where k(e) and k(e) are the efflux rate constan...

BACKGROUND Human colonic contents and many colonic microbes produce considerable amounts of acetaldehyde from ethanol in vitro. AIMS To examine in piglets if acetaldehyde is produced in the colon also in vivo, and if so, what is the fate of intracolonically formed acetaldehyde. ANIMALS Seventeen native, non-fasted female piglets (20-25 kg) were used. METHODS Six piglets received either 1....

Large conductance calcium-activated potassium (BK) channels play a key role in the control of neuronal activity. Ethanol is a potent activator of BK channel gating, but how this action may impact ethanol drinking still remains poorly understood. Auxiliary β subunits are known to modulate ethanol-induced potentiation of BK currents. In the present study, we investigated whether BK β1 and β4 subu...

BACKGROUND Chronic ethanol abuse is associated with disrupted circadian rhythms and sleep. Ethanol administration impairs circadian clock phase-resetting, suggesting a mode for the disruptive effect of alcohol abuse on circadian timing. Here, we extend previous studies to explore the effects of chronic forced ethanol on photic phase-resetting, photic entrainment, and daily locomotor activity pa...

The effects of bovine bile (50-400 mg.kg-1 BW) on plasma ethanol levels in male rats (6-8 weeks old) were examined. Bovine bile decreased and delayed the peak of plasma ethanol concentration: a dose response to bovine bile was observed in the concentration and time to maximum concentration of ethanol but no change in disappearance rate. These phenomena were observed in two conditions: 1) oral a...

Dynamic membrane trafficking of the monoamine dopamine transporter (DAT) regulates dopaminergic signaling. Various intrinsic and pharmacological modulators can alter this trafficking. Previously we have shown ethanol potentiates in vitro DAT function and increases surface expression. However, the mechanism underlying these changes is unclear. In the present study, we found ethanol directly regu...

Chronic ethanol feeding to mice and rats decreases serum adiponectin concentration and adiponectin treatment attenuates chronic ethanol-induced liver injury. Although it is clear that lowered adiponectin has pathophysiological importance, the mechanisms by which chronic ethanol decreases adiponectin are not known. Here, we have investigated the impact of chronic ethanol feeding on adiponectin e...

Lenzites betulinus, known as gilled polypore belongs to Basidiomycota was isolated from fruiting body on broadleaf dead trees. It was found that the mycelia of white rot fungus Lenzites betulinus IUM 5468 produced ethanol from various sugars, including glucose, mannose, galactose, and cellobiose with a yield of 0.38, 0.26, 0.07, and 0.26 g of ethanol per gram of sugar consumed, respectively. Th...

G-Protein-coupled inwardly rectifying potassium channels (GIRKs) regulate synaptic transmission and neuronal firing rates. Selective enhancement of GIRK2 function by intoxicating concentrations of ethanol was recently shown for recombinant homomeric and heteromeric channels. We proposed that specific behavioral actions of ethanol are due to activation of GIRK channels and that these behaviors w...