Liver collagen of rats submitted to chronic intoxication with acetaldehyde.

It was found that chronic intoxication of rats with acetaldehyde results in a distinct, progressive increase of 5-3H-proline incorporation into collagen synthesized by liver. At the same time biosynthesis of other proline-containing (noncollagenous) proteins does not change significantly. On the other hand the collagen content in the rat liver did not increase in the early stage of acetaldehyde administration, but increased when acetaldehyde feeding was continued for 6 months. About 40% increase of total collagen content was found in livers of the intoxicated animals. All the investigated collagen types (I, III, IV and V) grew in the same degree. No changes in proportional relationships between collagens of different types were found.