The effects of simultaneous alcohol and cobalt chloride administration on the cardiovascular system of rats.

CFY male rats received drinking water which contained 10% ethyl alcohol and 5% sugar and were treated with 50 mg/kg daily doses of cobalt chloride for three weeks by gavage. Haemodynamic examinations were carried out using radioactive microspheres. Alcohol caused no significant injury of the structure of the myocardium, while cobalt chloride caused incipient multifocal myocytolysis. Blood pressure and nutritive blood flow of the heart were decreased slightly by alcohol and significantly by cobalt chloride. Alcohol additively increased the effect of cobalt chloride decreasing the nutritive blood flow of the heart. It is suggested, that hypoxia increased by dual exposure is responsible for the aggravating effect of alcohol on the myocardial injury caused by the cobalt salt.