Gonadal alcohol and aldehyde dehydrogenase: in vivo and in vitro effects of psychoactive and endocrine agents.

The in vivo effect of amantadine, chlorpromazine and reserpine on testicular aldehyde dehydrogenase (T-ALDH) was studied as a function of mouse strain. The effect of Leu-enkephalin and tetrahydropapaverine on rodent T-ALDH was also studied in vivo. The in vitro effect of chlorpromazine, papaverine and scopolamine on rodent subcellular T-ALDH and testicular alcohol dehydrogenase (T-ADH) were evaluated. A strain-linked difference in endogenous T-ALDH among the three mouse strains studied was determined. Individual injection of chlorpromazine or reserpine inhibited only albino ICR T-ALDH which was alleviated by pretreatment with amantadine and, thereby, suggesting antagonism between amantadine and these agents. The Leu-enkephalin administration induced T-ALDH from saline control. Tetrahydropapaverine did not influence the enzymes studied in vivo compared to an insignificant in vitro induction of T-ADH by the O-methylated analogue papaverine. Chlorpromazine noncompetitively inhibited T-ADH in vitro. The results indicate the modulation of the enzymes studied, which are involved in both detoxification of ethanol and biogenic amine-derived aldehyde intermediates, by agents affecting the endocrine system. This suggests the potential of these testicular enzymes in the evaluation of alcohol- and drug-induced endocrine adverse reactions.