Effect of Ascorbic Acid and Zinc Sulfate on Ethanol Toxicity and Metabolism

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Abstract
Acute (single dose) and chronic (multiple dose) ethanol intoxication was produced in rats and mice so that the effects on survival and on ethanol metabolism could be determined in animals pretreated with ascorbic acid and/or zinc sulfate. Only 13 of 40 mice (32%) injected i.p. with a fixed amount of ethanol on 2 consecutive days survived. In contrast, the survival rates in matched animals pretreated with ascorbic acid (25 mg) or Zn (1 .mu.M) were 100 and 90%, respectively (20 animals/group). Smaller amounts of Zn (0.2 and 0.4 .mu.M) improved the survival after the first injection of ethanol (24 h), but not after the second (48 h). Similar observations were made in rats given repeated injections of ethanol over a 4 wk period. Serial blood ethanol concentrations were determined in rats pretreated with ascorbic acid, Zn, a combination of ascorbic acid and Zn, pyrazole (an alcohol dehydrogenase inhibitor), or saline (control). Blood ethanol concentrations were significantly lower (P < 0.05) 1 h after i.p. ethanol injections in animals pretreated with ascorbic acid and/or Zn when compared to saline control animals. Pyrazole, in contrast, maintained increased blood ethanol levels. These studies indicate that both ascorbic acid and Zn exert protective effects in ethanol-intoxicated rodents.