[Effect of chronic alcoholic intoxication on liver alcohol dehydrogenase activity in progeny].

Effect of chronic alcoholic poisoning on the activity of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) in the liver of rats was studied during ontogenesis. The activity of the enzyme was detectable for the first time in the fetal liver days 17-18 of the ontogenesis and reached the level seen in adult rats day 25 after the birth. ADH activity was dramatically increased in the liver of fetuses and progeny of females alcoholized before and during the entire pregnancy period as well as of females alcoholized before and during mating. Alcoholization of females before and over the first 15-16 days of pregnancy did not modulate the activity of liver ADH in the fetuses and progeny despite the fact that this activity in the mothers liver was 2.5 times as high as that in control.