Protective effect of zinc against ethanol toxicity in mice.

Protection against the lethal effects of ethanol at 4.5 g/kg administered acutely was maximal when zinc was administered 60 min prior to ethanol. The timing of ethanol administration corresponded with elevated plasma levels of absorbed zinc. Protection was inversely related to the dose of zinc employed, as 0.5 mumol provided greater protection than 1.0 mumol, which provided greater protection than 2.0 mumol. Protection against ethanol lethality was greater if zinc was administered 60 min prior to each injection of ethanol. Acute zinc pretreatment did not alter the activity of liver alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), nor did it alter the blood clearance of ethanol. Chronic zinc administration as ZnCl2, 100 micrograms/ml in the drinking water for 30 d, produced a 25% decrease in hepatic ADH activity, which was accompanied by a similar decrease in the intravascular clearance of ethanol.