Activities of NAD+-dependent aldehyde dehydrogenase and alcohol dehydrogenase in the liver of spontaneously hypertensive rats in the process of development.

The difference in the basal activities of NAD+-dependent aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) and alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) was investigated in the liver of age-matched spontaneously hypertensive (SH) and normotensive Wistar Kyoto (WK) rats. A significant difference between the SH and WK rats in the basal ALDH activity, ADH activity and the protein content of subcellular fractions was observed. The activities of mitochondrial low Km- and high Km-ALDH in the SH rats at 5-8 weeks of age were higher than those in the WK rats. The microsomal high Km-ALDH activity in the SH rats at 5 and 11 weeks of age was higher than that in the WK rats. The ADH activities in the SH rats at 5-14 weeks of age were lower than those in the WK rats. The mitochondrial protein content in the SH rats at 5-14 weeks of age was higher than those in the WK rats. At 14 weeks of age, an increase in the blood acetaldehyde level was observed after an intraperitoneal injection of 1.5 g/kg of ethanol in the SH rats. No difference in blood ethanol level was observed between the SH and WK rats.