Region distribution of the gangliosides in rat brain after chronic ethanol treatment.

In this study the effects of chronic ethanol administration on the regional distribution of brain gangliosides were investigated. A total of 36 60-d-old male Wistar rats weighing approximately 200 g was divided into two groups of 18 animals each. The ethanol-consuming group was offered drinking fluid (25% sucrose-32% ethyl alcohol, w/w) ad libitum, and the control group was given a sucrose solution isocaloric with the ethanol-sucrose solution. After 6 mo of chronic ethanol treatment, cerebral cortex, N. caudatus, hypothalamus, thalamus, and hippocampus were analyzed with respect to their ganglioside pattern (GM2, GM1, GD1a, GD1b, GT1b, and GQ). The results showed that there were highly significant effects of ethanol on hypothalamus GD1b and GT1b, thalamus GM1 and GD1a, and hippocampus GM1, GD1b, and GT1b ganglioside distribution. It was found that ethanol differently affected the gangliosides in these brain regions.