The effect of experimental diabetes on liver alcohol dehydrogenase activity in rats.

The effect of experimental diabetes on the activity of liver alcohol dehydrogenase was studied in males and females of two strains of rats. Alloxan diabetes of 8 weeks duration increased the activity of alcohol dehydrogenase in Sprague-Dawley males by about 50%. This effect was also observed in rats rendered diabetic with streptozotocin. However, there was no increase in the enzyme activity in female Sprague-Dawley rats. The magnitude of the increase was much less in diabetic Wistar-Kyoto males than in Sprague-Dawley males. Plasma concentrations of thyroxine were lower in diabetic animals than in controls, but this effect of diabetes did not correlate with changes in alcohol dehydrogenase activity. There was no reduction in plasma testosterone concentration in diabetic Sprague-Dawley rats. Growth hormone levels were not increased in the diabetic rats. The mechanism of the increase in liver alcohol dehydrogenase activity in diabetic male Sprague-Dawley rats is unknown.