Effect of an acute dose of ethanol on lipid peroxidation and on the activity of microsomal glutathione S-transferase in rat liver.

Acute ethanol administration (1.5 g/kg) to fasted rats resulted in a small but significant increase in the content of conjugated dienes in the microsomal fraction of liver. Treatment with 4-methylpyrazole prior to ethanol ingestion was able to reduce the ethanol-induced lipid peroxide formation (measured as conjugated dienes). No depletion of glutathione occurred within the first 2 hrs following ethanol administration by which time lipid peroxide formation is well established. The ethanol-induced inhibition of N-ethylmaleimide-stimulated microsomal glutathione S-transferase activity correlates positively to the concentration of conjugated dienes in the microsomal fraction of liver.