The effects of acute and chronic ethanol administration on twitch and tetanic force production by rat gastrocnemius muscle in situ.

The effects of acute ethanol injection on force production were measured in normal and chronic alcoholic rats. Acutely injected normal rats, acutely injected chronic alcoholic rats, and noninjected chronic alcoholic rats were compared with control groups: normal nonalcoholic rats and a dietetically deprived control group. Acute ethanol injection increased twitch force in normal rats but not in chronic alcoholic rats. Chronic alcohol ingestion caused a decrease in maximal twitch and tetanic tension. The dietetically deprived control group developed less maximal tetanic force, with no significant decrease in maximal twitch force. Chronic alcohol ingestion seemed to decrease maximal twitch tension, whereas the decrease in maximal tetanic could be attributed to the effects of malnutrition.