Norepinephrine levels and morphologic alterations of myocardium in chronic alcoholic rats.

Experimental alcoholism was produced in rats by giving them 32% alcohol as the only source of liquid for 4, 12, and 24 weeks. Control rats were given no alcohol. After 12 and 24 weeks on test the alcohol-fed animals developed pathologic changes and tissue catecholamine alterations of the myocardium. However after 4 weeks there were no differences in myocardial structure and norepinephrine levels between alcohol-fed and control rats. The present experiments indicate that marked increase in norepheinephrine concentration accompanies morphologic evidence of myocardial degeneration and may play a role in the development of the alcoholic cardiomyopathy.